These Twisted Games
by MsMayfly
Summary: What would happen if Gale volunteered to go with Katniss to the 74th Games? What would change? What wouldn't? Told from Gale's POV.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I do not own The Hunger Games but I'm enjoying using the wonderful characters Suzanne Collins created. This is my first attempt at fan fiction ever so please review!**

These Twisted Games

"I volunteer as tribute!" I shout from where I stand in the crowd. The words have left my mouth before the blond, bakers boy has even made it to the stage. I see Katniss' head snap in my direction and the fury and pain are evident in her eyes. I make my way to the stairs and I slap Peeta on the shoulder as I pass.

"What a wonderfully exciting day!" Effie Trinket squeals. Two volunteer tributes from District 12 has to be a first. I'm barely listening as I climb the stairs to the stage. _What have I done? _I think. My family depends on me and now what will they do. I just broke my mother's heart and I can't even look in her direction.

"And what's your name?" Asks Effie excitedly. I refuse to look Katniss in the eyes.

"Gale Hawthorne," I say calmly.

"Well this is certainly the spirit of the Games," Effie says. "Two volunteers!"

The mayor begins reading the Treaty of Treason, as he does every year at this point but I'm not listening. I'm holding my gaze toward the distant hills, trying to look anywhere but at Katniss or at my mother.

As he reads my mind is spinning. I have no idea what's going to happen now. I just left my mother and three young siblings to fend for themselves. Not to mention the fact that Katniss will not be thanking me for this snap decision. We made a promise to each other that if one of us ended up in the Games we would take care of the others' family; make sure they didn't starve. Now Katniss volunteered for Prim and it was my job to stay behind and care for our families. _What have I done? _I think again.

As the mayor finishes reading he motions for Katniss and me to shake hands. This is the moment of truth. I look her in the eyes and the pure anger there is plain. She is furious. I try to squeeze her hand but she pulls hers away and we turn to the crowd as the anthem of Panem begins. I can see the crowd watching us with wide eyes, unable to believe what they have just witnessed. This is a first.

After the anthem ends we are taken into custody. I try not to look at Katniss as the Peacekeepers walk us into the Justice Building but without success. I glance in her direction as soon as the doors to the building close and she's glaring at me. Without the cameras to hinder her, she lets her rage show.

"How could you!" She screams at me furiously. She even tries to take a swing at me but the Peacekeepers pull her back. I recognize Darius and Cray, both their eyes wide. They know Katniss and I both from the Hob and are probably wondering what's going to happen now.

"Katniss, I'm so sorry. Please, forgive me?" I yell as they pull us into different rooms across the hall from one another.

This will be our allotted hour to say good-bye to our loved ones before we board a train to the Capitol. I'm not sure exactly what to say or if my mother will even come in the room. I pace because I'm too wound up to think about sitting on the plush sofa. My fury at myself is growing stronger as I think about what I have done.

The door opens and the first person I see surprises me. It's Mr. Mellark, Peeta's father. He walks in and sits on one of the chairs and motions for me to do the same. I walk to the chair and sit, too shocked to do anything else at this point. He hands me a small bag and when I open it I find some cookies. These are something that I have only eaten a handful of times because I can never afford them. My eyes widen.

"I wanted to thank you for what you did out there. I know you didn't volunteer to spare my son. You did it to protect Katniss but in the end you did save Peeta," he says.

"You're welcome," I say slowly. I'm not sure why he has come to see me exactly because there seems to be more on his mind than just a thank you.

"You and Katniss have come into the bakery quite a bit through the years and I traded with both your father's as well. I want you to know that I am very fond of the two of you. I never knew exactly the depth of your feelings for her until today but I always suspected," he says with a slight grin.

"Those Everdeen women are really something," he gives a light laugh. "Listen, I want you to know that…" he trails off looking in my eyes. I'm not sure what he's looking for but he makes a decision and finishes, "that I won't let them starve. Not your family or hers."

I feel the look of shock that must be on my face. Did I just hear this right? Is he offering to take care of my family?

"This may come as a shock, but I know the effect the Everdeen women can have. My story may be different from yours in some ways but the similarities between us would shock you," he finishes.

"Um… thank you, sir," I respond softly. "I don't know what to say."

"No, thank you, Gale," he says as he stands to leave. He turns back at the door and adds, "You just take care of her." I nod and he shuts the door.

I sit there with the bag of cookies in my hand trying to get a grip on the situation. Surely Mr. Mellark was serious but what about he and I would be similar? What did he mean about the effects the Everdeen women can have?

I don't have time to figure out the answers to these questions before the door opens again. My mother comes in with an expression I can't even describe. My siblings hang back by the door while she walks to the center of the room and slaps me across the face before I can react. My mother has never struck me before, nor has she ever struck my siblings. This reaction was similar to what I expected though.

"Mom," I begin but I'm cut off by her fury. Her expression is one I have never seen before. She is beyond furious. She has every right to be.

"What were you thinking, Gale?" She says angrily. "Did you stop and think about what this decision would mean for your family? Did you think about Rory or Vick or Posy who will have to watch the Games and see all this happen? Did you think of anyone else?" She finally breaks down and sobs. She takes me in her arms and just starts kissing my cheeks. My siblings walk toward us tentatively and we all sit on the sofa, Posy on my lap. She lays her head on my chest, unaware of what is happening, but as I look to Rory and Vick I see in their expressions that they have yet to forgive me.

"I'm sorry. I was selfish and impulsive and I really, honestly, wasn't thinking straight at all," I say earnestly.

I spend the next few minutes giving them some small instruction on keeping themselves going while I am gone. Rory has been out hunting with Katniss and me a few times so he knows a little but I would prefer if he didn't try for a while. He's still a little too young. I let them know about the promise from the baker. I make demands that all the kids stay in school.

After a few minutes, the Peacekeepers return and it's time to say good-bye. I hug them each and while I know they haven't forgiven me, I hope they will in time.

The next visitors shock me almost as much as the first. I guess I shouldn't be shocked but I am.

Prim throws her arms around me and is sobbing into my chest as I kneel on the floor in front of the sofa. Mrs. Everdeen sits on the sofa and places a hand on my shoulder. They must have just said good-bye to Katniss.

After just a few minutes, Prim calms enough to let go of my neck. We sit on the sofa and I feel the need to apologize to them as well.

"Listen," I begin.

"Katniss told us about the promise you made to one another," Mrs. Everdeen says quickly before I can finish. "Don't apologize, Gale. I understand why you did it."

I struggle with the words but I don't understand why.

"I love her," I say looking Mrs. Everdeen in the eyes. "I love your daughter more than life."

"I know. I understand that. You can't think that this will end well for the two of you, though. What exactly is your plan?" She asks.

"I don't really have one. I just couldn't let her go alone. The only thing I know is that I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe," I finish with conviction.

"Keep each other safe," she says, rising to leave. As she hugs me Prim walks to the door. "It will take time but she will forgive you, Gale. It will also take some time for her to understand why you did it. She will see but you will have to be persistent. You have to tell her the truth now. She's been too blind to see it all these years but you have to make her understand it all."

I hug them both and I'm alone again.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I can't believe the response to my story! Thank you to all who reviewed. I hope you enjoy ch. 2 as much as the first and I'm sorry if it moves a little slow in this chapter. There's a lot of ground to cover! I don't own The Hunger Games, I'm just enjoying writing about the characters Suzanne Collins created. Please review and let me know what you think.**

Chapter 2

Just after they leave the Peacekeepers return to tell me it's time to go. I walk out the door in hopes of getting another chance to speak with Katniss but I'm lead to a car with a drunken Haymitch already in the backseat. I slide in next to him a little nervous because I've never ridden in a car before.

As we arrive at the train station I'm suddenly glad that I'm not an emotional person. The place is absolutely swarming with cameras and reporters shouting all sorts of questions at us. Haymitch stumbles out of the backseat and I climb out the other side. Then I catch a glimpse of Katniss and Effie stepping out of a car behind us. Katniss is staring straight into the crowd, her face devoid of any emotion. I recognize this face. I turn my face into a similar mask as we start toward the train.

"Gale! Gale! Why did you volunteer? Katniss did it to save her sister but who is Peeta Mellark to you that you felt the need to volunteer?" I hear a reporter yell above the others. This will be the question on everyone in the Capitols mind. The question all the other tributes will be asking when they watch the replay tonight. I refuse to answer and keep my eyes forward until we are on the train. Katniss and I must stand in the doorway of the train for a few minutes while they snap our pictures and I glance up to see us on the big monitor. We look almost bored with the whole situation. This is something we have perfected. We both have had to deal with plenty of very unpleasant situations and keeping emotion from our faces is easy now.

As the train pulls away from the station Effie Trinket takes Katniss to show her where her quarters are. Katniss doesn't even look my direction but follows Effie out of the train car and I'm left standing there with Haymitch. He mumbles something about a nap and staggers out of the car. I hang my head and wonder what I'm going to say to Katniss that will have any effect at all.

A Capitol attendant enters and offers to show me to my quarters. He explains that everything in here is at my disposal. Effie pops in to let me know that dinner will be served in an hour. I sit on the edge of the bed for a few minutes before deciding to try out the shower. After that I search the drawers and find something to wear. I leave the room with my hair still wet to try to find Katniss. I ask an attendant which room is hers and they point me to the one down the hall from mine. I walk to the door and knock. No response. I knock again and I hear her exasperated sigh.

"What?" She asks harshly through the door.

"Catnip, open the door," I say. I use my nickname for her since no one else is around. I hope that will make her listen. Remind her of all the times we have spent together. I'm just hoping that she will remember that we have always been a team.

"What do you want, Gale?" She asks as she opens the door. She's wearing a green shirt and pants with a gold pin on her shirt. I notice that the pin looks remarkably like the pin I saw on Madge, the mayor's daughter, this morning before the reaping.

"I want to talk to you," I answer. She's not even looking at me. She's looking over my shoulder down the hall.

"There's nothing to say," she responds coldly. She steps out of the room and I'm hopeful for a moment that she's going to speak to me but I notice Effie coming down the hall.

"Dinner time!" She announces with far too much enthusiasm.

We follow her to the dining car in silence. The train is overly extravagant. I'm annoyed just thinking about how we are going to be treated like we are something special until they throw us into the arena and expect us to fight to the death. When we enter the dining car there is a table with very expensive looking dishes.

"Has anyone seen Haymitch?" Effie asks as we take our seats at the table.

"He said something about a nap when we got on the train," I reply. Effie nods.

The food comes in courses and I can't believe there's so much of it. I eat so much food I can't believe I can fit anymore in. I figure I'll take advantage of the fact that I will be treated well for the next week. I can try to make myself enjoy it. It's definitely not hard to enjoy the food.

"At least, you two have decent manners," Effie says near the end of the meal. "The pair last year ate everything with their hands like a couple of savages. It completely upset my digestion."

At first, I'm angry by her little announcement. The pair last year was from the Seam, like Katniss and myself, and had probably never had a decent meal. I know table manners aren't common among the families in the Seam. Then I smile as I think of the day in the woods when Katniss and I had decided to have a picnic and she teased me because I didn't know how to use the utensils. Her mother was a merchant child who married a coal miner from the Seam. That's unheard of. She taught her daughters how to eat properly. Katniss spent most of that afternoon teaching me. I give a faint laugh at the memory and glance her way. The look in her eyes tells me she's remembering the same day. Then she looks away and seems to be making a point to eat everything else with her hands. She even wipes her hands on the tablecloth when she finishes and Effie purses her lips together. I just shake my head. The two of us trying to win the favor of the people of the Capitol in order to win sponsors is a joke. We will definitely be on our own in the arena.

Now that the meal is over I realize that eating so much was probably not the best plan. I feel nauseas. I look over at Katniss and see she is just as uncomfortable as me. She meets my gaze momentarily but then looks away quickly. Anger has overcome the memories of our friendship. I begin to wonder if she'll ever forgive me.

"Shall we go watch the recap of the reapings?" Effie asks. We nod and she leads us to another compartment. This one has a television and a small sofa along with several sitting chairs. Each of these separate compartments is larger than my entire home. The difference between our District and the Capitol is unbelievable sometimes. I'll never understand how these people in the Capitol, who I will never have respect for, can eat all this rich food knowing there are people literally starving to death. The feeling of disgust overwhelms me. I have to keep myself in check here but I feel a plan starting to form. There are people in the Districts who feel the same way I do. I can show them how I feel by how I carry myself in this situation. This is essentially an opportunity to do more than protect Katniss. If I can pull this off then I will prove to be something important. I can prove that I won't be used the way the Capitol intends. I almost smile as the plan starts to define itself in my head.

Katniss walks straight to a chair near the corner and sits. I walk to the one closest to her and sit. She immediately turns her head toward the window, away from me.

"Katniss," I say softly. She just shakes her head. "Katniss, please just listen to me for a minute,"

"NO!" She yells, turning her head to face me. "No, Gale, there's nothing you can say that I want or need to hear so just stop."

Everyone in the room is looking at me so I just look toward the television that a Capitol attendant has turned on.

As the recap starts I find it incredibly hard to focus. I need to be paying closer attention to the other tributes but I keep thinking about what Katniss said. She doesn't want to hear anything I have to say so why bother. Even if I have to be alone in the arena I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe. It's her life that is important here, not mine.

Only a few of the tributes make an impression on me. The boy from District Two who jumps forward to volunteer, the tiny girl from District Eleven, who I notice Katniss winces when she sees, and the boy from the same District who is huge.

I see our Justice Building and Effie steps forward to begin the ceremony. Prim is called and heads toward the stage. Katniss waivers momentarily then leaps into action as Prim passes her. She runs for the stage and pushes Prim behind her. Then Prim is throwing her arms around Katniss and screaming. I watch myself as I walk to where they stand and pull Prim off of her. Effie introduces Katniss to the crowd and they refuse to applaud. The announcers groan as Haymitch falls from the stage. Then to my surprise they cut to a shot of my face and the pain there is obvious. The love and longing in my eyes makes me sick to my stomach as I relive the moment. I don't hesitate to volunteer and I look completely in control as I climb the stage. They show us arriving at the train station and entering the train, both looking completely unemotional. The announcers are all speculating that Peeta and I must be close because that is the only reason anyone would volunteer from District Twelve. As the show ends I notice that Effie and Katniss are both looking directly at me.

I rise from my chair and leave the compartment. I'm headed back toward my room when Haymitch enters the dining car as I'm passing through.

"Did I miss dinner?" He asks and the smell of alcohol is almost overwhelming. I hear the door open behind me and Effie and Katniss enter as Haymitch vomits on the floor and then falls into it. I roll my eyes. I glance at Katniss and she is smirking at the view before her. The amused look on her face makes me laugh.

"I find it interesting that you two think this is funny," Effie begins. "Your mentor is you lifeline to the world in these Games. The one who advises you, lines up your sponsors, and dictates the presentation of any gifts. Haymitch can well be difference between your life and your death." As she says this Haymitch is trying to stand and keeps slipping in the vomit.

"So laugh away!" Effie exclaims as she hops around the scene and runs from the room.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews. I really love to hear what you think. I know this chapter is a bit shorter than the previous ones but it seemed like a good place to end it. I don't own The Hunger Games. I'm enjoying writing about the characters created by Suzanne Collins. Please Read and Review!**

Chapter 3

Katniss and I exchange a small look, unsure of what to do from here. Effie is right about one thing, Haymitch is the only one who can help us but I personally don't see how this man could help anyone. He can't even take care of himself. I shake my head in disgust at the scene as two Capitol attendants enter and help Haymitch to his feet and back toward his compartment. Two more attendants enter and begin cleaning the spot where he fell and the smell is almost overwhelming. I turn to leave the compartment and hear footsteps behind me in the hall. I don't turn because I can tell by the soft tread it's Katniss and she is just heading toward her room.

I stop only when I get to the door to my room and open it. I don't pause as I step through the door and turn to close it behind me. Katniss is standing in the hall in front of my door. Her eyes still retain a good portion of the anger but the expression looks a bit softer. I've still never seen her look this angry at me.

"Can I come in?" She asks. I raise my eyebrows in surprise but step aside so she can pass.

"Isn't the shower incredible?" She asks tentatively after the door is closed behind her. I see her glancing around the room waiting for me to speak.

"Yeah," is all I can think to say. I have many things I wish I could say to her in this moment but after her outburst in the television room I know that she doesn't want to hear them. Not now, not ever. I've got to find an angle to work from that doesn't include my feelings toward her. I'm just going to have to keep this to myself.

"Gale," she begins but I'm not sure how I'm going to respond to the question I know she's going to ask so I cut her off harshly.

"Don't start pretending to care about what I have to say now. You made your feelings about what I did perfectly clear and you were right, there's nothing I can say that you should care about at all!" I'm nearly yelling by the end. This doesn't phase her. She's seen me like this before during my ravings against the Capitol. She knows where my real anger lies and it's not at her. It's at this entire situation. It's the fact that either of us has to be here. It's that anyone has to be here.

"Gale," she says again softly, stepping toward me in a movement meant to comfort. She does this when I get angry.

"No, Katniss don't start this now!" I yell. She nods and I see how much my words have hurt her. I'm about to apologize when she turns and walks swiftly from the room. I start to follow her but realize that this is for the best. I need to focus to figure out my plan. If I'm going to keep her safe I can't let myself get distracted by fighting with her.

I lie across the bed with my face toward the ceiling and immediately feel guilty. I should never have spoken to her like that. Her mother told me I would need to explain everything to her and I'm sure she's right but I don't know where to start. I fall asleep thinking about what I'm going to face tomorrow.

I wake in the morning to Effie knocking on the door to tell me we have a "big, big, big day!" I roll my eyes and think about how annoying this woman is. It's going to take a lot of will power not to kill her just for being so irritating.

I dress and brush my teeth before heading to the dining car. The only person there when I arrive is Haymitch and he is adding something to his orange juice from a flask. My irritation toward Effie is nothing in comparison to the anger I feel toward Haymitch. It's no wonder District Twelve doesn't have more Victors if Haymitch is drunk the entire time. I walk to the table prepared to confront him when a Capitol attendant walks up with a plate of food and I'm temporarily distracted. There's just so much of it. Just like dinner last night, I want to stuff myself.

Katniss enters and sits next to me silently. Our eyes meet tentatively and it seems the anger has subsided somewhat in hers. I feel relief flood through me, maybe she will forgive me.

She stares at me for a moment and then turns to her plate and I turn to mine. I eat as much of it as I can handle and just as I'm finishing my meal Katniss turns on Haymitch.

"So, you're supposed to give us advice," she says sharply.

"Here's some advice. Stay alive," Haymitch says, laughing. My fury peaks and I grab the glass from his hand and throw it against the far wall where it shatters.

"It's our lives on the line here and you're laughing?" I yell. Haymitch stands and I rise as well. He stares me down and before I can react he punches me in the jaw, knocking me backwards. As I am getting ready to tackle him I see him reach for the bottle on the table and Katniss drives her knife into the table between his hand and the bottle. I'm suddenly afraid for her but Haymitch just looks at her and then back toward me where I am standing ready to attack.

"Well, what's this?" Haymitch asks. "Did I actually get a pair of fighters this year?"

He looks back to Katniss before speaking again.

"Can you hit anything with that knife besides a table?" He asks her. I smile because I know this is something she can do. She's not as good with a knife as she is with a bow and arrows but she can throw a knife.

She pulls the knife from the table with a look of fierce determination on her face. She grips the blade and throws it across the room and it hits and sticks directly in the seam of the wall. My smile widens because I know she didn't do that on purpose but it makes her look great.

"Stand over here. Both of you," he says, nodding toward the middle of the room and I follow Katniss that direction. He circles us and I am completely infuriated as he pokes at us like we are animals. As I am about to say something to him he speaks. "Well, you're not entirely hopeless. Seem fit. And once the stylists get hold of you, you'll be attractive enough." This only irritates me. I hadn't stopped to think about today. We will spend the entire day at the Remake Center being turned into something that is beautiful from the Capitols point of view.

"All right, I'll make a deal with you. You don't interfere with my drinking, and I'll stay sober enough to help you," says Haymitch. "But you have to do exactly what I say." When he finishes I look to Katniss to see her response. She looks me in the eyes and finally she sighs and nods at Haymitch.

"All right," I say quietly. I'm so furious that this man is the one I have to learn to trust if I want to have any chance for sponsors in the arena.

"When we get to the arena, what's the best strategy at the Cornucopia for someone-" Katniss begins.

"One thing at a time. In a few minutes, we'll be pulling into the station. You'll be put in the hands of you stylists. You're not going to like what they do to you. But no matter what it is, don't resist," Haymitch says, cutting her off.

"But-" she starts to object.

"No buts. Don't resist," he says. He grabs the bottle and leaves the compartment.

I notice that the car suddenly goes dark and I walk to the window to look out. Katniss walks to the window beside me as I realize that we must be in the tunnel leading up to the Capitol. Her breathing starts to get shallow as it does sometimes when she's nervous. I take a risk and grab her hand to comfort her. I know why she's nervous. She hates feeling trapped underground. She won't admit her fears to many people but she trusts me. She glances at me and I look down at her from the corner of my eye. She squeezes my hand and I smile down at her.

The train begins to slow and suddenly we can see the Capitol as we exit the tunnel. It's amazing and so much larger than it seems on television.

The people point at the train because they know there are tributes aboard. I step away from the window and Katniss releases my hand and steps away as well. I look to her and she looks away.

I still can't find it in me to say the words.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I've really enjoyed all the reviews and thanks for setting me on story alert. It means so much to me to know that people enjoy this story as much as I do. I've had so much fun writing it! Please keep reviewing. I do not own The Hunger Games. I'm using the wonderful characters that Suzanne Collins created.**

Chapter 4

I have been in the Remake Center with my prep team for several hours now. I have yet to speak a word to any of them. I know if I open my mouth I will say something negative and I'm determined to keep my part of the deal with Haymitch. No complaining. They have scrubbed my body with gritty soap that peeled off layers of my skin and clipped my nails. They covered my face with a cream that burned once they were done. I wonder what that was for but I refuse to speak.

I distract myself by wondering how Katniss is handling this. She's so modest and as I stand here naked with these three people circling me I can only imagine how she feels.

"Well, he's really not so horrendous after all," I hear one of them say. She has this disturbingly styled purple hair and eye shadow that goes all the way to her ears. It's completely ludicrous.

"No, Portia will be thrilled with what we were able to accomplish," says another. He has hair that is dyed an abhorrent shade of green. He's wearing lipstick and has tattoos down his neck that are silver in color.

"Let's go get her," says the last one eagerly. She seems younger than the others. She's has light blue eyes and her hair is dyed to match. It's almost grey it's so light. It's long and curly and she has bangs that cover one eye.

The three walk from the room and for the first time, I'm nervous. My stylist, who I have yet to meet, will be the one to determine my look for the opening ceremonies tonight. In the opening ceremonies we are required to wear something that has to do with our districts principal industry. Since District Twelve is coal we are usually dressed in awful coal miners outfits with headlamps. One year the tributes were completely naked and covered in a black dust that I guess was meant to be coal dust. I know Katniss would be humiliated and that makes me angry. She shouldn't be put through this. None of us should. They are about to throw us into an arena to kill one another for their entertainment but before that they want to parade us around in horrid outfits and make us act like we enjoy it.

As I'm seething about this a woman enters the room. She's not as much of a standout as her companions were. Her hair is a natural looking shade of brown and long but pulled up into a simple style on the back of her head. Her eyes are painted with gold eyeliner and a small amount of glittering gold eye shadow. It's such a contrast to the prep team I'm shocked.

"Hello, Gale. My name is Portia and I will be your stylist," she says quietly. Her voice doesn't have the shrilling tone that most people from the Capitol seems to.

"Hello," I say politely. I have nothing more to say to her right now so I don't speak.

"I just want to look you over for a moment before we get started," she says. I nod.

After a short time she hands me my robe and motions for me to follow her to another room. In the room there are two couches facing one another. She tells me to sit and I do. I notice one wall is glass from floor to ceiling, giving a grand view out to the Capitol.

Portia presses a button on the side of the table and the top splits. A second table top emerges with our lunches on it. It looks like an unbelievable meal but I can't get over the amount of food that they expect us to eat. Do they eat this much all the time? Do they not know how many families with hungry children there are out in the Districts? The bread alone on this table would feed my family for nearly a week. The inequality between the Capitol and the Districts is becoming more and more obvious to me by the minute. I scowl at the table.

"You must despise us," Portia says, her eyes focused on mine. I can't deny it so I don't speak. "I understand. Now, I want to talk to you about your costume for the ceremony tonight. My partner, Cinna, is the stylist for Katniss. We worked together to create something unique to help you both to stand out. We would like to dress you in complimentary costumes. We believe that the coal miner thing is very overdone and we've come up with something that we believe will be monumental."

I'm not sure what to say so she continues to explain as we eat.

"We decided to focus on the coal itself instead of the mining. What do you do with coal, Gale?" She asks, trying to draw a response from me.

"Burn it," I reply, unsure of where she is going with the question.

Portia only smiles in response.

A few hours later I find myself dressed in a costume that makes me very nervous. The idea seems very unique and in keeping with my deal with Haymitch, I don't complain. If this works out the way Portia says then maybe we will actually make a great appearance.

I'm in a black leotard that covers all but my feet, hands, and head. I have boots that are laced up my legs. The cape and matching headpiece are the pieces that Portia says will be on fire. She explained that it is not real flames but a synthetic fire that she and Cinna have come up with but I'm a little worried about being burned before I'm thrown into the arena.

I almost smile when I walk into the stable and see Katniss and her team standing by our chariot. She's dressed in an identical costume to mine with her hair braided back like always. I was concerned they were going to turn her into something she wasn't but she looks very much the same.

I notice Portia is looking at my face with a speculative expression. I turn to her and she just smiles and nods. We approach our chariot and Katniss looks at me for the first time. She gives me a nod. Cinna and Portia direct us into the chariot and arrange our body position. They fix our capes and step away to speak.

"How are you holding up?" I ask cautiously.

"How do you think?" She asks, obviously annoyed with my question.

"I just meant I was worried about you," I begin but I'm silenced by the look in her eyes.

"Oh, you want to worry about me now, Gale. Why don't you worry about our families you left without a way to eat and survive on their own!" She snaps.

"Do you think I'm not worried about them? Katniss, I am worried about them. I'm sor-" she cuts me off.

"Don't waste your breath. Your apology is not what I want," she spits.

"What do you want?" I ask harshly. "I can't change the fact that I did this. I know I messed up. Is hating me going to make it better for them?"

"No, but it makes it a little easier for me," she says harshly. I stare in her eyes for a long time before I find the words to answer.

"As long as it's easy for you," I say softly. I look away from her face so she can't read in my eyes how deep her words have cut me. She said them to upset me and I won't let her know how much she has.

The music starts and I see the doors open as the first chariot lines up. We will ride from the Remake Center to the City Circle and it will take about twenty minutes. As the District One chariot enters the street the crowd erupts. District One is always a favorite. They make the luxury items for the Capitol so I see their jeweled costumes as the doors shut. Katniss and I always make fun of them and call them the Capitol's lap dogs. I smirk as I think of the comments we would make and I look down at her. Her eyes are on mine and I look away quickly. I see Cinna and Portia staring at us from the corner of my eye and I wonder what they think of this whole situation.

We move closer and closer to the front of the line and as the District Eleven chariot leaves the doors and they close, Cinna steps onto the chariot.

"Here we go then," he says, as he sets our capes on fire. I tense and wait for the pain but there is only a slight tingling sensation. Katniss looks very nervous and I want to calm her but I don't know how. Then Cinna reaches up and lights our headpieces. He sighs in relief. "It works." Then he lifts Katniss' chin. "Remember, heads high. Smiles. They're going to love you!"

He jumps down from the chariot but seems to think of something. He smiles as he looks up and shouts something. I think I make out the words "hold hands."

"What's he saying?" Katniss asks and I turn to look at her. I'm looking for the words but she looks so amazing I can't think straight. I've never seen anything to equal her. She looks like a goddess with the flames flickering above her face and dancing in her eyes. She's radiant. How am I supposed to stay angry with her when she looks this way?

"I have no idea," I say flatly after a second. I don't know what Cinna is thinking but the last thing she will want to do is hold my hand now.

She stares back at Cinna trying to figure out what he wants but she either doesn't understand or doesn't want to.

Then our chariot is moving and the large double doors open. I grab the bar in the front of the chariot to steady myself and Katniss does the same. The initial reaction is shock. I hear the crowd erupt into applause after just a few seconds. They are shouting "District Twelve!" Everyone is staring at us and I can't blame them. Katniss looks incredible. I can hardly keep my eyes off her.

She lifts her chin a bit higher and glances at me out of the corner of her eye. Then she turns to the crowd and begins to smile. I refuse to smile. She starts waving and blowing kisses to the crowd who start chanting our first names. I want to hit her. She's acting like a trained Capitol monkey, playing into all their games. Acting like she cares about their approval. _Who is she? _The Katniss I know would never act this way.

"I thought we agreed to do what the stylists asked," she says through her smile. I have to think how to respond to this. She's right, of course. I worked so hard all day to keep my promise to Haymitch I shouldn't let this get to me now.

I take a deep breath and plaster a very fake smile on my face. I raise my chin and look at the crowd. They are going crazy, throwing roses at us and screaming our names. I reach out and grab Katniss' hand. She doesn't stop me but I'm not sure if this because she wants to hold my hand or because she knows that is what Cinna was telling us to do.

I begin to wonder why Cinna wanted us to hold hands. I'm worried about everyone else finding out why I volunteered. If the other tributes find out about my feelings for her they will target us, I'm sure. It's best if they all think I was protecting Peeta.

We get in place at the balcony and I see our faces on the big screen. As the president gives his welcome speech I can see that even though they are supposed to be showing all the tributes they seem to be focusing on us. I keep the smile on my face through the speech and Katniss is smiling so much that it hurts my face to look at her.

After the presidents speech the anthem plays the procession of chariots enters the Training Center. As soon as the doors close behind us the prep teams are squealing praise. I release Katniss' hand and side step away from her. Cinna and Portia are there and they quickly remove our capes and headpieces and Portia sprays something from a can onto them and the flames extinguish.

Katniss looks at me after we step off the chariot. I see something flicker in her eyes that I can't explain. It seems like a mixture of anger and fear. I've never known her to act this way but I'm still hurt by her words from earlier so I turn and walk toward the elevators without a word.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I want to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed my story. I have so many plans for this :) Please keep reading and reviewing! I still do not own The Hunger Games. I'm writing about characters that are owned by Suzanne Collins.**

Chapter 5

The Training Center has a tower designed for the tributes and their teams during the Games. All you do is get on the elevator and press your district number and the elevator takes you to your floor. Effie explains all this to us on our way to our floor. The elevator is glass so I look out to the Capitol instead of at Katniss.

Effie seems more excited than I have ever seen her. She's glowing and showering us with praise about the opening ceremonies. She's telling us how wonderful we looked and how we seemed to be enjoying ourselves. I guess I fooled her. She tells us how everyone is talking about us.

"I've been very mysterious, though," she tells us. "Because, of course, Haymitch hasn't bothered to tell me your strategies. But I've done my best with what I had to work with. How you both volunteered to save someone who was important to you. How you've both successfully struggled to overcome the barbarism of your district."

"Barbarism, really," I say sarcastically, about to launch into a speech about the barbarism of the Games but Effie ignores me and continues.

"Everyone has their reservations, naturally, you being from the coal district. But I said, and this was very clever of me, I said, 'Well, if you put enough pressure on coal it turns to pearls!'" Katniss smiles but I just stare at Effie blankly. Her comment is way off and if I speak now I will be rude and I don't want to start this battle yet.

"Unfortunately, I can't seal the sponsor deals for you. Only Haymitch can do that," says Effie. "But don't worry, I'll get him to the table at gunpoint if necessary."

The threat of violence from Effie almost makes me laugh. She decides to show us to our rooms.

My room is twice the size of the compartment on the train. It has so many electronic gadgets that I'm momentarily overwhelmed. I step into the shower and take my time trying to figure out which buttons to push to get the water temperature right. Then find the buttons for the right shampoo and soap.

Once I finish my shower and get dressed I feel a little better. I take a few minutes to look around the room and I'm staring out the giant picture window at the incandescent Capitol when I hear the knock. I walk to the door, assuming it will be Effie calling me to dinner.

Portia and Cinna are standing in the hall. I'm momentarily shocked and they just smile gently.

"Hey," I say slowly.

"We want to show you something, Gale," Portia says. "Would you mind following us?"

"Of course," I respond, apprehensively. Have I done something wrong already? I follow them to a door at the end of the hall. Cinna opens the door and puts a small piece of wood in the frame to keep it propped open a bit after we pass through. All I see is a staircase going up and down. Cinna and Portia take the stairs up and I follow, uncertain of what else I should do. When Cinna opens the next door I see we are in a small dome shaped room. Then, we step out onto the roof of the building.

I walk to the edge immediately and look down at the streets below. The view is amazing but I'm still trying to figure out why they have brought me here.

"Gale, we wanted to talk to you somewhere safe," Portia says. I glance back and forth between them for a few seconds, trying to figure out how to respond.

"We aren't going to hurt you or Katniss," Cinna adds. Apparently, I looked nervous. I briefly wonder why the comment about Katniss. "We want to know something."

"What?" I ask cautiously.

They exchange a glance before Portia speaks. "How long have you been in love with Katniss?"

I'm stunned beyond the ability to speak. I stand there staring at Portia, knowing I should answer but completely unsure of what to say. Well, that explains why Cinna said he wasn't going to hurt her but where is this coming from?

"We are really good at reading people," Cinna explains. "We could tell at the reaping that you didn't volunteer to save the other boy. You did it to save her."

I'm still too shocked to form words.

"We brought you to the roof to show you that there is a safe place you can talk. Follow me and let me show you what else," Cinna says.

I follow without making the conscious decision to do so. I don't know how these two knew about my feelings for Katniss but I have to keep it under better control. I can't make us a target for the other tributes! As we round the corner to another side of the roof I see a small garden has been planted. There are all sorts of hanging plants and flowers everywhere and hundreds of wind chimes. It's beautiful. I'm standing in the garden for several minutes before I speak.

"I'm not sure exactly," I say. "We've known each other for about four years now. We both lost our fathers in a mine explosion and had to step up and care for our families. We learned that we could work together. We became a team. She's my best friend but somewhere along the way…" I trail off. I look out over the Capitol but I'm not really seeing anything.

"Are you planning to tell her?" Portia asks.

"I don't think so," I answer. "I've tried a few times since the reaping but she's still very angry at me about volunteering. I think if I told her she would just get upset. What good would it do either one of us if I told her anyway? One of us will still be dead soon."

Portia and Cinna exchange a heavy look.

"You should tell her," Cinna says finally. "She deserves to, at least, know the truth."

"She cares for you too, Gale. Didn't you see the pain on her face when you volunteered? She may not understand why you did it but she understands how she will feel without you," Portia explains.

"I don't know," I say slowly. "She's angry and she has every right to be. She told me tonight that she hates me. Maybe I should just let her hate me. It'll be easier for her that way."

"She's hurting too, Gale. Trust me on that," Cinna says.

"What if it just upsets her more? I'm don't know if I could…" I trail off. I'm not sure what to say. I can't put this on her now. Not after she's told me how she feels. Can I?

"If you say nothing and go in the arena and one of you dies she will never know. If you tell her and she responds positively you can spend the rest of your lives happy," Portia says.

"I'll think about it," I say, without knowing exactly what I'm going to do. "Are we allowed to be up here?"

"Of course. This is just the easiest place to talk because of the wind," Cinna says.

"Aren't they afraid a tribute will jump off or shove someone else?" I ask.

Cinna laughs and walks to the edge. He reaches his hand out from the building and there is a slight zapping sound before he pulls it back.

"There's a force field around the entire roof. If something or someone falls, it simply throws them back," he says.

"Wow," I say. I'm not sure how else to respond.

"Come on. It's almost time for dinner," Portia says and they lead me back off the roof and down the stairs. Cinna taps my shoulder as he kicks the wood back into the stairwell. It's a silent reminder to prop the door open when I head up. I nod.

We walk into the dining room and I notice we are the first to arrive. I follow Cinna and Portia out to a balcony where they discuss our costumes and the opening ceremonies. I just look out over the Capitol and try to figure out what, if anything, I can say to Katniss.

As Katniss and Effie enter the dining room a young man dressed in white offers us each a glass of wine. I notice that he doesn't speak. I take the wine and try it and while the flavor is a bit dry, I think I might actually like it.

Haymitch arrives as dinner is served. He's clean and groomed and I wonder if he gets a stylist as well.

I notice that with the stylists here Effie and Haymitch seem to be making an effort to get along. Everyone is still raving about our outfits for the opening ceremonies. I look to Katniss who seems to be truly enjoying the food and intentionally ignoring me. I eat my meal and pay little attention to it.

I notice that the servers are all young and dressed in white like the boy earlier. Not one of them ever speaks. Then I see her as she enters after only a few minutes. She looks so familiar. She has dark red hair and I spend several minutes trying to place her while she walks around and hands out food. She carries a plate and sets it in front of Haymitch. Her eyes widen as she looks to Katniss then she hurries from the room. I don't see her again until she brings out a desert. As she places the cake on the table she lights it on fire.

"What makes it burn?" Katniss asks and I'm suddenly afraid she will recognize the girl. I just realized when I saw her next to Katniss where I knew her from. I remember the day in the woods with Katniss when we saw this girl running with a boy. We were hidden behind some rocks waiting for game to pass and suddenly all the birds fell quiet. A few seconds later, one bird gave a loud call as this girl and a boy appeared in the clearing. Their clothes were tattered and I could tell they had been running for a while. A second later, a hovercraft appeared and killed the boy but captured her. I sat there, frozen and looked to Katniss. She looked just as horrified at what we had witnessed as I was. I knew we should have done something but what could we do?

"Is it alcohol?" Katniss finishes her question as I am coming to these realizations. She turns to look at the girl and I hold my breath. "That's the last thing I wa - oh! I know you!"

The girl shakes her head and walks swiftly from the room. Katniss looks completely confused and I'm suddenly sure she doesn't remember the day. I almost sigh aloud in relief. Katniss would be terrified if she found out how she knew the girl.

"Don't be ridiculous, Katniss. How could you possibly know an Avox?" Effie asks rudely. "The very thought."

"What's an Avox?" Katniss asks before I can.

"Someone who committed a crime. They cut her tongue so she can't speak," Haymitch answers. "She's probably a traitor of some sort. Not likely you'd know her."

Everyone is still staring at Katniss and I saw the slight widening of her eyes on the word traitor. She knows. She looks at me and I can only stare at her in horror.

"And even if you did, you're not to speak to one of them unless it's to give an order," Effie says stiffly. "Of course, you don't really know her."

"No, I guess not, I just -" she hesitates. She needs help and I know it but I have no idea what to say. I can't get the image of this girl and the boy she was with out of my head. I hear her screaming as the boy was speared. She looked right at us. Katniss and I stare at each other before she speaks again.

"I guess she just looks like someone I used to know," she says, looking back at Cinna.

No one looks convinced.

"Well, alright then. And yes, the cake has spirits, but all the alcohol has burned off. I ordered it especially in honor of your fiery debut," Cinna says, still eyeing Katniss.

Everyone seems to relax a little as we all eat a bit of the cake. We move to the sitting room to watch the replay of the opening ceremonies. While a few others make an impression at first, they are quickly forgotten once we appear. And by we, I mean Katniss. She looks almost as amazing on screen as she did on the chariot. Almost.

"Whose idea was the hand holding?" Haymitch asks.

"Cinna's," I say quickly. I want it known that I listened to the stylists as I was told.

"Just the perfect touch of rebellion," says Haymitch. "Very nice."

Rebellion, huh. I think back to try and remember if I have ever seen another pair of tributes holding hands in the chariot and I don't think that I have. I never thought of it as rebellion but I'm glad it looked that way to Haymitch.

"Tomorrow morning is the first training session. Meet me for breakfast and I'll tell you exactly how I want you to play it," Haymitch says to the two of us. "Now go get some sleep while the grown-ups talk."

I resent the fact that I'm being referred to as a child but follow Katniss from the room without a word. She has said little since the incident at dinner and I know she has been shaken emotionally. I try to decide what to say to her as we walk down the hall toward our quarters. She stops and opens her door but I grab her hand silently and keep walking. She follows without objection. I walk to the door at the end of the hall and once inside I push the piece of wood into the frame. I keep heading up the stairs to the roof. Once outside I hear Katniss' intake of breath at the sight. I turn to her and she's looking around at the view.

"You okay, Catnip?" I ask. She says nothing but walks from me to look over the edge. I follow and stand next to her. She's silent for several minutes.

"You recognized her too, didn't you?" She asks quietly.

"Just before you did. I hoped you wouldn't turn toward her," I answer honestly. I notice she's shivering. I remove the jacket I'm wearing and drape it over her shoulders. She starts to move away from my arm but decides against it. Instead she turns toward me and leans her forehead against my chest. I stand there for a second unsure of what to do.

"What do you think they did to her tongue?" She asks into my chest.

"I don't think I want to know," I answer quietly, placing one hand on her back to comfort her.

"We should have helped them," she says so softly I almost don't catch all the words.

"What could we have done?" I ask. I thought a lot about that day after it happened. I wish that we could have helped them escape but I can't figure out how.

"I don't know but we should have tried," she's shaking even in the jacket so I wrap my arms around her and pull her close. I worry for a moment that she is going to pull away but she doesn't. I think about what she said earlier, about hating me, but after what just happened I realize I don't care. I don't want her to hurt and I will be whatever she needs. If she wants to hate me then she can but I will be here for her anyway.

"I wonder why they were running from the Capitol. What could they have done to make them traitors?" She asks with her face still against my chest.

"I don't know and I don't think it will help to try to figure it out now," I answer honestly.

"I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I just don't know how to handle any of this. I'm scared," she says softly. Fear is a weakness that I know upsets her in herself. She hates feeling weak and admitting it to someone is even worse. This tells me she still trusts me. I'm starting to wonder if she's already forgiven me. It took a moment like the one at dinner for me to realize that no matter how angry I am at her, the Capitol is the reason I have to be here. Maybe she's realizing the same.

"I know," I reply, leaning down to whisper in her ear. I also know that now is the moment I've been waiting for. I take a deep breath. "And you know I love you, right?" I add softly.

I feel her body stiffen in my arms. She takes a step away from me and looks me in the eyes.

"What did you say?" She asks. She sounds almost angry. This is not the reaction I hoped for.

"I said 'I love you,'" I answer calmly. She stares at me momentarily and turns to walk from the roof. I grab her arm and she tries to yank free. I turn her back toward me.

"Don't walk away! Talk to me!" I almost yell. I can't let her walk away without saying anything.

"What do you expect me to say, Gale? You want me to tell you how much you mean to me? That I'm glad you volunteered? That I'm happy you have my back? How horrible does all that sound coming from me? We are going to be thrown into an arena in less than a week's time and expected to kill one another. My feelings toward you don't matter anymore and neither do yours!" She yells as she finishes her little speech and wrings her arm free.

She turns and tries to run from the roof but I use all my strength to drag her away from the stairs and around to the garden in the furthest corner from the door in case she tries to run again.

I turn her around to face me and see the tears streaming down her cheeks. I can't think of a time in the entire four years I have known her that I have ever seen her cry. I waiver momentarily at the thought that my words or actions have caused her this much pain but I'm too angry to think about that. I'm furious with the Capitol for ruining this moment for me… for us. We could have been happy forever. We could have been in love but now only one of us can live. I'm furious with myself for volunteering. If I hadn't come then she could've come home to me and we could've been happy. I hang my head before I speak.

"I'm sorry," I begin and she doesn't look at me. She keeps her eyes closed while the silent tears stain her cheeks. "I lost it when I saw you volunteer and I wasn't thinking. I just knew I couldn't have you torn from my life that way."

"Yes, this is so much better. Even if one of us wins we can never be together. There's no way for us to be, so why bring it up now?" She asks hollowly, her eyes meet mine. "How could you do this to me?"

It feels as if someone has knocked the wind out of me to hear her ask that. "I don't know," I say defensively. "I couldn't have you going through the rest of your life not fully understanding how I feel about you. If I'm only going to live for a few more days then I want to know that I told you. That you know. That's all I want. Your happiness means everything to me."

I turn to walk away this time and she doesn't stop me. I walk to the stairs and through the door straight toward my room. I see Cinna and Portia standing near the entrance to the hall and I shake my head as I enter my room.

I walk straight across and sit on the edge of the bed. I vaguely notice that someone seems to have turned down the covers on the bed and laid out night clothes.

As I lie in bed staring out the window I feel despicable. How could I do this to her? I can't decide what she was trying to say on the roof. I made her cry when I told her. Well, I can't change what happened. She was right earlier. I should just let her hate me. I should make sure she hates me so she can focus on herself and winning. She needs to hate someone, why not me? If it will make it easier for her I will let her hate me. Tonight is my fault. She was having a moment of weakness and needed me to be strong. She was willing to forgive me if I could be strong. I was weak myself, putting my feelings off on her that way. How could I do this to her? She needed me to be strong. She needs me to be strong. I will protect her and never say another word about this night.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I still love reading all the reviews and thanks to everyone who reads this. I'm sorry it took so long to update but this chapter has been giving me a lot of problems so let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do :) I still don't own The Hunger Games.**

Chapter 6

When I wake in the morning I see it is just after dawn. As I get ready for the day I notice someone has left an outfit for me to wear in the front of the closet. I guess Portia does more than just my opening ceremonies outfits. I look at the black pants and maroon tunic and think it could be worse. I dress quickly and open the door to head down for breakfast.

As the door opens I notice my jacket is hanging on the outside knob. All the events on the roof last night flood my mind and I take a deep breath before throwing the jacket toward my bed and closing the door a bit loudly.

I arrive in the dining room about the same time as Haymitch and see that Katniss is already at the table. I don't look her in the eyes but quickly notice that she is dressed in an outfit identical to mine. I wonder if this is normal. Back home we don't get to see the tributes during the week of training.

I follow Haymitch to a table where there is an enormous amount of food laid out for us. I fill my plate and take my seat next to Katniss. We eat in silence and I keep my eyes on my plate during the meal. As we finish eating Haymitch pulls a flask from his pocket and takes a drink.

"So, let's get down to business. Training. First off, if you like, I'll coach you separately. Decide now," Haymitch says. I look over and meet Katniss' eyes for the first time. It's very brief but I see in her eyes that she is still angry.

"Why would you coach us separately?" Katniss asks looking back to Haymitch.

"Say if one of you had a secret skill you might not want the other to know about," says Haymitch.

"I don't have any skills that she doesn't already know about," I say a bit flatly. I turn to Katniss "So I guess it's up to you."

"You can coach us together," she says not meeting my eyes.

"All right, so give me some idea what you can do," says Haymitch.

I stare at Katniss because I'm unsure where to start. She doesn't even look at me before she speaks.

"We both know how to hunt. We can use a bow and arrows with accuracy," she says but there is something in her voice that makes me think she is somehow irritated by having to say this.

"We both know how to set snares and use knives as well," I say, finishing the assessment. She turns slowly in my direction to glare at me.

"What?" I ask, confused.

"You can set snares," she says harshly.

"You know how to set snares, too," I say.

"Not like you," she spits.

"Well, I can't use a bow like you. No one can shoot a bow like you," I say in a similar tone. I'm not sure I understand where her anger is coming from but I want to push her this morning.

"Alright!" Haymitch shouts, bringing his fist down on the table and making us both jump. "Look, I don't know what's going on here but if you two can't cooperate then I will just train you separately."

I speak again without thinking.

"Maybe separate would be better," I say. It's not that I don't want to strategize with Katniss but cooperating doesn't seem to be working currently.

As soon as the words are out Katniss' eyes flicker to me and away but I see something in her eyes. It's something I don't understand but I can't figure it out because she looked away too quickly.

"Alright. Gale, go wait for me in the sitting room and I'll be with you in just a few minutes," Haymitch says, eyeing me.

I nod and walk to the sitting room. I pick a chair and I'm staring at the walls but not really seeing anything. I'm trying to figure out that look I got from Katniss after I said we should be trained separately.

I hear Haymitch coming down the short hall after just a few minutes and as he enters I hear a door slam loudly in the distance. I guess it was probably Katniss.

"I'll tell you exactly what I told her to start," Haymitch begins as he takes a seat across from me. "Just because I'm training you separately doesn't mean I will be picking one or the other of you to focus on in the arena. I do expect that you will listen to everything I say or we will be done. Everything I tell you is to help you in the arena, even if it doesn't make sense now. Do you understand?"

I nod. I wonder what he will have to tell me that he thinks I would object to.

"First off, I know you can use a bow and set snares. Is there anything else you think can be counted as a skill?" He asks. He's still drinking from the flask and I want to rip it from his hand but I just take a deep breath instead.

"I'm used to the woods. I hunt, gather, fish, trap and I can move pretty quickly and quietly," I say. There's not much more than that. It seems like so little to explain my life but I know it's more than most of the others.

"Knowledge about using weapons is great and will really help you in the arena," Haymitch begins. "However we can't guarantee that there will be bows in the arena. During your private session with the Gamemakers in a few days you can show them your archery skills. Between now and then do not even pick up a bow. I don't want anyone else to know that you can use one." I nod. This does make sense as a strategy.

"Next, the snares may be very important when it comes to food. I do want you to spend a little time at that station to try and pick up a few pointers on knots more than anything but don't show off, understand?" I nod again.

"Spend your time in training learning to do something you've never done. Learn to use the other weapons available and make a fire. Spend time at every station but try not to draw attention to yourself," he says. He stands but seems to have more to say.

"Now, you can have whatever kind of reaction to this you want and try to throw a fit like the girl or you can accept that I make the rules," he begins. I tense as I wait to hear what he says next. "Regardless of the fact that I am training you separately here, in public you are to stay together. I want you by each other's side at all times."

He hasn't even finished the sentence before I rise to leave the room.

"You agreed to do as I say…" Haymitch barks but I cut him off.

"I assumed you were going to make some sense. This is ridiculous. We are training separately because we can't get along and you want us to smile and play nice together constantly for the next few days? That's not going to work. I'm not some trained Capitol…" I yell but I don't get to finish my insult before he is interrupting me.

"It's not open for discussion! You will be together, you will get along! End of story!" He bellows. "Now get out. Meet Effie at the elevator at ten for training."

As I leave the room I remember the sound of Katniss' door slamming loudly after her meeting with Haymitch. It makes even more sense now that I understand the reasoning behind it.

I enter my room and walk to the window. I watch the sun rise higher in the sky and realize how much I hate the look of the Capitol. I can see how some think it's beautiful, fascinating even, but I prefer watching the sun rise over the trees in the forest.

I start to think about my plan. I resolved myself last night to having her hate me but do I stick with that decision if I'm going to have to stick by her side constantly? It's going to be very uncomfortable. I have no idea what I'm doing anymore.

I wait until nearly ten before I head down the hall to the elevators. Effie is standing right beside the doors tapping her foot impatiently. I hear Katniss' door open but refuse to look toward her. We take a silent elevator ride down below ground level where the gymnasium is located. I look around the room as we step off the elevator and quickly see that we are the last to arrive. I also notice that we are the only two dressed alike. This is a disaster waiting to happen.

The other tributes stand in an uncomfortable circle near the middle of the room. They each have a white square cloth pinned to their back with their District number. Someone walks up behind me and pins one to me with the number Twelve.

We join the other tributes and the head trainer, Atala, steps forward to explain the training schedule. We will be free to move from one station to another and the experts from each station will remain there all day. Some of the stations teach combat while others teach survival skills. There will be assistants at each of the combat stations in case we want to practice but we are not allowed to engage with any other tributes.

She reads a list of skill stations but I'm not really listening. I glance around the circle and for the first time I really assess my fellow tributes. I notice that I'm one of the tallest among the group but the boy from District Eleven is at least a head taller than me and is definitely wider built. While I have a height advantage over most of the Careers, they are all better fed and therefore have more muscle tone than I do. Height won't really help me win a fight over any of them. The other tributes around the circle seems small when compared to the Careers. I do have a weight advantage over some of them because I have to work for my food. Hiking and hunting daily have made me stronger than some.

I can see that several of the tributes are eyeing me and it irritates me. I look over and see the boy from District Two whisper something to the girl from his District. She looks in my direction and leans to the girl from District One. I narrow my eyes at the girl from Two, unsure what's going on exactly.

As soon as Atala releases us the Career Tributes from Districts One, Two and Four head straight toward the spears and swords. Of course, everyone knows they already have training. I almost smile because I will be able to watch and assess their skills while staying clear of showing off my own. Haymitch was right about staying away from the archery station but one glance that way and I'm already dying to try out the weapons. I look around the room and wonder where we should start.

"What do you think?" I ask Katniss. She has stayed by my side, following Haymitchs' instructions.

"About what?" She responds sarcastically. "The fact that the Careers seem to be sizing you up already? I think you should go for it. They would give you an edge."

I look at her sharply, unsure how to respond. How exactly am I supposed to spend all my time with her when she's acting this way?

"What is your problem?" I ask harshly.

"Remember, we are supposed to look like we actually like each other," she reminds me, giving me the fakest smile imaginable.

"I usually don't have to try so hard to like you," I say back quickly, narrowing my eyes in response to her smile. She is obviously trying to provoke me.

"Let's tie some knots or something," she says, turning her back to me.

We walk to the knot tying station, which is completely empty. The trainer looks thrilled to have anyone at his station. I block out Katniss completely, figuring I need to spend this time not only learning about skills but learning about the other tributes. I glance around the room while Katniss tries out a snare I mastered on the first try.

I see the boy from District Two wielding a sword and he has the assistant he is sparring with pinned to the ground. The girl from District Two is throwing knives at human dummies and hasn't missed once. The boy from Four and the girl from One are both throwing spears at targets. I notice that since I started watching, they have all looked in my direction more than once. Are they watching me?

The trainer figures out quickly that Katniss and I know several snares so he teaches us some more advanced stuff. I pick up on things quickly and keep an eye on the Careers as they move around the training center. The trainer is impressed by the precision of my snares and is showering me with praise when I notice the boy from District Two has walked up to the station.

I thank the trainer and walk away, touching Katniss' arm to let her know we are leaving. We walk to the edible plants station next. We aren't there for long because, of course, this is knowledge we mastered years ago. I'm really hoping this will give us some idea of what we will find in the arena.

By the time we both fly through the edible plants test it's time for lunch. We eat breakfast and dinner on our floor with our team but for lunch the twenty-four tributes gather together in a cafeteria. The Career Tributes sit together, talking loudly and ignoring the rest of us during the meal. Katniss and I sit at a table together though we still haven't spoken since our argument this morning.

As we eat I begin to rethink things. If we are going to be spending at least the next few days together we need to try to get along. We need to watch out for each other. I need to let her know we can still work together. But how?

"Did you see the Gamemakers watching us at the knot tying station?" I ask when we are almost halfway through our meal.

"Yes," she responds quietly, without looking up from her plate.

"Remember, we are supposed to look like we actually like each other," I say, repeating her words from earlier.

"You're right," she says as she raises her eyes to meet mine briefly.

"I think Haymitch wants us to come across as united. We are supposed to be a team," I say trying to catch her eyes again.

"I'm not sure I understand the point," she says looking back down to her plate. "We are going to have to admit that we are opponents at some point so why bother keeping up the pretense?"

"Katniss, I'm not your enemy," I say softly. She looks up as if she's going to make a sarcastic comment but something in my eyes stops her. She stares in my eyes before she speaks.

"I know," she says, this time holding my gaze. I see something change in her eyes. The hardness I've always known to be there momentarily vanishes and I see uncertainty. I see confusion. It's a look I've never seen from her. It only lasts a moment and the hard girl I know is back. I can't figure out what this means.

The afternoon passes in a similar manner. We go through some stations that give us less of an edge like camouflage and making shelters. We do okay but appear mediocre when compared to our success this morning. It's a good thing because I'm trying to draw no notice but I still see the Careers watching us. I wonder again what to make of this.

We speak only when it is absolutely necessary and don't make eye contact all afternoon. It's crazy that I feel so uncomfortable but I don't know what happened in the cafeteria and I don't know what to say. It's really the only time I've ever really felt uncomfortable around Katniss since we met. Usually things are so easy between us but over the last few days I've done nothing but screw up.

At dinner, Haymitch asks about our day as the first course is being served. We briefly describe the stations we went to today. He seems to get irritated as we speak.

"I thought I said you were supposed to look like a team," he says harshly.

"We don't really understand the point," I say before Katniss has a chance to speak. It's really more her point than mine but I'm curious as to the reason behind this strategy as well.

"If you come across as united you'll have a better chance in the arena," is Haymitchs' only response. It's not a real answer to the question but I don't say anything else.

"We'll try," Katniss says softly.

"Well, you need to do better than try," he says still scowling. "Go get some sleep and be ready for more tomorrow."

We rise from the table and head down the hall. Katniss stops at her door and I pass her heading toward my quarters. As I grab the doorknob, I feel her hand on mine pulling me toward the end of the hall. I walk along behind her as she leads me to the door to the roof. I silently move the wood into place and follow her up the stairs. She walks straight to the edge and looks down. I step toward her but stop a few feet away from the edge, not sure what she plans to say.

"What are we doing here, Gale?" She asks quietly, not looking at me.

"You brought me up here, remember?" I ask stepping toward the edge.

"You know that's not what I mean. What's the plan?" She asks turning to face me.

I stare out over the Capitol without speaking for several minutes. She doesn't seem irritated at all by my reluctance.

"I'm not sure exactly," I say finally. Of course, I know what my plan is but it's not something I'm going to share with her. Not yet, anyway.

"You volunteered to be here with me and you don't have a plan?" She asks. For the first time today she doesn't sound upset. I think she knows that I'm lying but she doesn't push.

"It wasn't like I had a lot of time to think the decision through. I acted on instinct and I just have to trust that it was the right decision," I say honestly, still not meeting her gaze.

"I have a plan," she says after several minutes of silence. I look at her as she begins to speak. "We may as well work together in the arena as long as we can. We will both have a better chance that way. We have always worked well together so we should take advantage of that aspect. Maybe we can set a specific number like, once we get to the final eight we will part ways and give each other a twenty four hour lead way before we are on our own."

As she speaks I feel my resolve disappear completely. I don't know what to say to this.

"I don't want…" I begin but I trail off. I don't want her to die is the only thing I can think to say but I'm sure that will just upset her. I take a deep breath before I speak again.

"Why don't we decide not to make any firm plans other than stay together? That way if there are still too many of the Careers left in the final eight we can stick together and have each others backs until the time comes. I'm sure we'll know once it comes that we need to part ways," I say.

"It can't come down to the two of us, Gale. I'll never be able to handle that," she says honestly.

"Why?" The word is out before I can stop it.

"Don't ask me that," she replies, turning away from me. "You don't want to hear the answer."

"I do want to hear it," I say almost angrily. I turn her back toward me with a hand on her arm. That's when I see the uncertainty showing through her hard mask again. The girl who has shown me what true bravery was all these years is showing fear in her eyes. Confusion on her face.

I remember back to all the times in the woods with her. Every moment that seemed so insignificant before is playing like a movie in my mind. I've seen that hard mask she wears disappear more often than most people but when it does it is usually with a happy, confident Katniss who is enjoying herself. Not this Katniss. This is not the girl I know but I love her all the more for finally letting me see a different side to her.

"I don't know how I feel about you, Gale. You are my best friend and the only person in the world who truly knows me but I don't want to be in love. Especially not now. Look at where we are. If I stand on this roof tonight and confess my love to you what good will that do either one of us? We will both still be in the arena in a matter of days and at least one of us will be dead!" She screams at me with the tears glistening in her eyes. I don't want to make her cry again so as she turns to run from the roof I don't stop her.

I turn and put my elbows on the edge of the roof and rest my forehead on the heels of my hands. I keep screwing things up. I need to figure this and quickly. She wants to work together in the arena and that's a plus. The closer I am to her the easier it will be to defend her.

After just a few minutes I hear footsteps coming from the other side of the roof. At first I wonder if Katniss has come back to talk to me but then I realize the steps are too heavy. I whip around quickly and find the boy from District Two standing before me.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:First I just want to apologize for the time it's taken to get this chapter to you. I let myself get discouraged and it's inexcusable. I'm very sorry. Chapter 7 is here now, though and I hope you all enjoy it. I will be going into finals within the next few weeks so if it's slow going I'm sorry in advance. I will do my best to not wait this long between updates again.**

**If you enjoy this chapter send a HUGE thank you to Caisha702. Caisha has been an amazing supporter of this story and motivated me to keep going with this chapter when I was ready to give up. If you haven't read "Love is a Battlefield" you need to now!!**

**I still don't own The Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins owns the characters.**

Chapter 7

"What a beautiful little show," says the boy from District Two without emotion. I stare him down while the anger rises in me. He must have been hiding here the whole time.

"The name's Cato, by the way," he says almost smugly. "You must be Gale, the boy who volunteered to save his buddy back home, but wait, it turns out he was in love with the girl who was drawn and that's his real reasoning." He begins to laugh cruelly. I narrow my eyes but refuse to speak.

"Keeping quiet now doesn't make any difference. I already got more information than I ever thought I would on this roof. You had me fooled, Lover Boy. I really never thought anyone would be so stupid as to volunteer to come with someone they loved," he's still laughing and I can't help the sneer that rises on my face.

"What do you want?" I spit. I can't believe I didn't think to check and make sure there was no one else on the roof before we spoke. This is exactly what I didn't want. Now that Cato knows, all the Careers will know.

"Oh, I think you know what we want from you. You have skills and knowledge that will be useful to us and we want to recruit you. The survival instincts you have will be very handy and you know we can fight and together we will bring them all down," he smiles a very triumphant smile as if he's already won the Games.

"What makes you think I would ever team up with you?" I ask, still looking him in the eyes. I refuse to be the first one to look away.

"That's an interesting question. You see, before tonight I would have thought that it would be easy to get you on our side. When we recruit someone, they join up or they die first. That's the idea we place in their heads. Now I know that won't work as well with you. I think I may need to change things up a bit. Let's see…" he's still wearing that same smile as he paces. I know what his next words will be before he says them.

"We will just have to take your pretty little girlfriend out first if you don't join," he says, and by the look in his eyes, I know he's serious. My heart starts racing, pulsing with the anger overcoming my mind. I step forward to where we are only inches apart.

"You will never lay a hand on her regardless of whether I join you or not," I say with conviction. I will kill him myself as my dying act to make sure that never happens.

"The choice is yours," he says, turning his back to me and heading toward the door.

It takes every bit of strength left in my body to stand still and watch him walk away. Every cell in my body wants to lunge at him, to attack. I take deep breaths as I try to decide what this means. The Careers want me with them and they are threatening Katniss, not me, if I don't comply. I'm not afraid of the Careers but I'm afraid for Katniss. She told me tonight that she wants me for an ally in the arena. She wants us to work together as long as we can, which I know will be till the end.

I make my way slowly down the stairs and realize that I need someone to talk to. There has to be someone who can help me make sense of the chaos. I look around for Portia but she's already left for the night. I'm walking back toward my room when I think of Haymitch. I'm not sure if he's asleep yet but he's supposed to be our mentor anyway so I walk to his door and have to knock several times before he answers.

"What do you want?" He asks, obviously completely drunk.

"I need some advice and since you are my mentor…" I trail off, suddenly unsure about my decision to confide in this man. He's a drunk but he hasn't misguided me so far.

"Fine, come in," he says, opening the door further. The smell of alcohol is almost too much to take as I walk past him into the room. "So, speak boy!" He says after the door is closed.

I stand there looking at Haymitch for a moment trying to decide where to start. He looks irritated that I'm even here.

"I have feelings for Katniss," I say swiftly. Just saying the words is hard. I've never told anyone before this week and now I've lost count of how many people know in a matter of days. Haymitch just laughs.

"That's going to be a problem for you then, boy," he says, still laughing. "What exactly do you want me to do about this?"

"Like I said, I need advice," I begin but he cuts me off.

"Pick a different girl," he laughs. "It won't work out with this one."

"That's not what I…" I trail off in anger. This was a mistake. He's not going to help me; he's going to infuriate me.

"Fine, what's the problem then? Besides the obvious, of course," He responds. He seems to be attempting to be serious for the moment.

I tell Haymitch the whole story from telling her last night to my encounter with Cato on the roof tonight. He is silent through my speech.

"That's going to be a problem for you, boy," he says again but this time he doesn't sound sarcastic. "It seems you have a choice to make. You have to decide whose life is more important to you-" he doesn't even finish the sentence before I answer.

"Hers," I say, looking him in the eyes. "Her life is more important than mine. I will do whatever it takes to keep her alive. That is why I'm here."

His eyes widen and he lets out a small huff as if I've shocked him by my declaration.

"Well, that changes the plan for you just a bit. We still have a few options though," he says, seeming deep in thought. "If you deny the Careers, it's just a matter of making sure you're ready to take them on. If you team with them now, she will be angry but you can get insider information that may help you in the arena. Do you see where this has to be up to you? You have to be a believable liar if you are on their side and so far I haven't seen that from you."

"I don't know," I say. I'm not sure if I can do what he's suggesting and team with the Careers. Even if I'm only doing it to spy and get information it will require swallowing my disgust for them and I don't know that I can do that.

"I don't think I can lie to them enough to make them think I'm on their side now. But even if I was to team up with them, they would have to know I was only doing it to protect her. How does that work?" I'm not really asking the question to Haymitch, I'm just thinking out loud.

"They would know you were protecting her and they would be planning to kill you both anyway," Haymitch says. At least he's being honest.

"I guess that makes the decision for me then," I say a little more sarcastically than I intended.

"That's your choice and I respect that but you need to be ready because Cato will most likely keep his word about targeting her. What do you know about him so far?" Haymitch asks.

"I know that he can fight with a sword. He had the trainer pinned to the floor after just a few minutes this morning," I answer honestly.

"Hmm, they always have training in multiple areas so keep your eyes on him. Don't deny him just yet. Tell him you are considering your options," says Haymitch.

"I'm not sure if it's such a good idea for Katniss and me to be together all the time in training with this going on," I say. I don't want this to come across like I'm questioning his authority or strategy but I don't want Katniss involved in my battle against the Careers.

"I think you might be right on that one," Haymitch says. "Look, I'll break it tomorrow morning at breakfast that I want you two to separate but still eat lunch together. That gives you a reason to not sit with them."

"Okay. Anything else?" I ask. This is exactly the kind of advice I was hoping for and I'm almost surprised I'm getting this kind of help from Haymitch.

"Yeah, you and the girl. This isn't going to end well. Maybe you should think about that before you speak with her about how you feel. If you truly want to keep her safe, she needs to focus on herself and not how she feels about you," Haymitch says seriously.

I just nod in understanding and leave the room. I walk back to my room and lie across my bed. He's right, of course. My feelings can only hurt her now so I need to keep my mouth shut. Telling her how I felt blew up in my face horribly and now I have the Careers to concentrate on.

As I walk into the dining room in the morning Haymitch is already at the table. He gives me a nod. I fill my plate and take my seat silently. Katniss enters the dining room a few minutes later and silently grabs her plate and fills it. She takes the seat next to me and keeps her head down while she eats.

"Change of plans," Haymitch announces as we finish the silent meal. "We're going to try a different approach since you two can't seem to get along anyway; I want you to train separately. Get to know some of the others. I still want you to eat together in the cafeteria but otherwise you are on your own today. Got it?" We nod.

After breakfast we take another silent elevator ride down to the gymnasium. We are not dressed alike this morning, which is another relief, but Katniss won't even look at me after what was said on the roof last night. She may already regret her words.

The elevator stops and the doors open and the tributes from District Six step on silently. Neither of them even looks at us as the doors close and we continue to descend. I'm taking deep breaths to steady myself for today. I'm not sure what to expect from Cato or any of the other Careers but I know that if I make an enemy of him today it won't help Katniss in the Arena. I have to keep my cool.

The doors open and we all walk out into the gymnasium. I begin the day by stepping to the spear throwing station. It doesn't take long before I feel the eyes on my back. I glance around and see the girl from District Two is watching me. I look away and focus on the instructor. It turns out that I'm not half bad with a spear. While I'm training the boy from District One walks up and takes a place next to me. The girl tribute from District Four is the next to join us. I hear her refer to him as Marvel and I almost laugh out loud. What kind of a name is Marvel?

After several more minutes I know it's time for me to leave this station. I'm very uncomfortable and feel outnumbered here but I know they are just trying to intimidate me. I walk away and take a place at the knife fighting station. The instructor is going over basic directions which are simple enough. I spar with the trainer and feel even more confidence than I did when I was at the spear throwing station. It takes me longer than it should to notice that someone else has approached. It's the girls from Districts One and Two.

I try to focus on my training but it seems as if they were sent here in a deliberate attempt to either watch or distract me. I look quickly around the room for Katniss and see her swinging a mace. At least she is alone for the moment. Then I spot Cato watching me from the spear throwing station. He is talking intently with Marvel and the girl from District Four. I assume they are discussing me as they each glance at me from time to time. I take a deep breath and turn my eyes back to my station.

The girls at the station with me seem to be trying to show off. Especially the girl from District Two. She is quite skilled with a knife and that is definitely something to keep in mind while in the Arena. I'm watching her closely trying to pick up any info I can when I hear a voice behind me.

"Like what you see?" Cato asks in a low voice.

"Just trying to figure out how she picked it up so much faster than everyone else. I mean, we're only in our second day of training and yet she seems so comfortable here," I respond a bit sarcastically. I immediately regret my words as Cato takes a step forward to put himself within inches of me.

"What exactly are you implying, District Twelve?" He asks a little louder.

"Nothing at all. Just admiring her skill," I say flatly, staring Cato down. He takes another step toward me and I tense. All I can register is that we are eye to eye and he is trying to intimidate me into backing down, which I refuse to do.

"Are you sure this is the route you want to take? You need to think about the impact of your words before you speak to me that way again," he says leaning forward as if he is about to spring at me.

"You're really not that intimidating, Cato. I'm not afraid of you," I say loudly. His nose is literally centimeters from mine and I know that there is no turning back now. Just as I feel that this is about to turn physical I hear a whistle from across the gymnasium. I don't look away from Cato or move.

"District Two. District Twelve. Back away from one another immediately!" Atala says, her voice coming closer. We don't move an inch. "I said move!"

Cato and I both take a step back but our eyes never leave one another. Atala steps between us. She leans toward my face, blocking my view of Cato. I look down at her.

"Back away now, District Twelve," she says and turns to Cato. "Same to you."

We each take another step back but I feel myself shaking in anger. My fury is plain on my face and I see the anger reflect back in Cato's expression.

"I want you both to stay clear of each other until the Arena. I don't want to see you at the same stations again," Atala says walking away.

I let my gaze wander the room and see every tribute has their eyes locked on the exchange that just took place. I stood up to Cato in front of every single tribute. This can't be good for my strategy. I let my anger get the best of me and I will have to watch carefully every move I make from here on out.

While looking around my eyes meet Katniss. Her eyes are wide with alarm as she stares at me. She is just as confused as the other tributes about the cause of the argument and I'm glad. I'm so relieved that Haymitch had us train separately today. This was what I feared. I can't swallow my anger toward them and take what they say in stride.

I hear Cato speak softly to the two girls at my station before he walks away. I decide to avoid all the Careers from here on out so I make my way to get a wrestling lesson. It might do me some good to get some of this anger out.

As I finish up at that station, they call us into the cafeteria for lunch. I fill my plate and walk to an empty table near the corner of the room. Cato sits at a table very near to me. Another move meant to intimidate me, I'm sure. I don't look his way.

"Everything okay?" Katniss asks as she takes a seat across from me.

"Fine," I respond quietly.

"What was all that about this morning?" She asks, concerned.

"Nothing. Just a misunderstanding," I say without looking at her. She knows I'm lying but she doesn't press the subject. She glances over her shoulder to level a glare at Cato and turns back to her plate. We finish the meal in silence.

After lunch things go much the same. I move from one station to the next and if a Career approaches, I leave. I don't intend to have anymore run ins with any of them.

An hour or so after lunch I find myself glancing around the room to check on Katniss. I'm more concerned about the damage I've done to her chances than anything else. I see her at the spear throwing station, talking quietly to the small girl from District Eleven. She seems to notice my gaze because she turns her head and looks at me momentarily before shifting her eyes back to the girl beside her.

Not long after that I hear familiar voices behind me. It's not the first time Cato has felt the need to walk behind me this afternoon. He is trying to provoke me. He has made a few comments about Katniss just loud enough for me to hear. He is intentionally not coming to the stations I am at but continues to send over his accomplices.

"It might be fun to keep him alive long enough for him to watch us kill her slowly," he says to someone as he walks behind me this time. I inhale and hold my breath as if that will root my feet in place. I want nothing more than to attack him now and get it over with but I can't let him get the best of me. I clench and unclench my fists trying to force myself to relax but it doesn't seem to be working this time. I need to calm down. I glance around again for Katniss because training is almost over and I hope that looking at her face might keep me calm for the next hour.

As I glance around the room I hear the voice again from several stations away.

"It'll be more fun to watch him watching her suffer and die. Let him live with the fact that it's his fault for a while," Cato says, laughing.

"That's it!" I shout and I turn and storm in the direction of Cato. He steps boldly forward and I know that what I'm about to do is stupid but just as I get within inches of him I hear the whistle. It doesn't stop Cato as he takes the final two steps to put himself in my face again. I don't even hear Atala's words over Cato's.

"You really do havea death wish, District Twelve," he says and there is a different look in his eyes. They are hollow and full of hate. I inhale and brace myself for the inevitable fight as I hear several pairs of feet coming in our direction. Before Atala can reach us I see the girl from District Two push between us with her back to me. I feel hands on my arms, pulling me back and before I can yank myself away I hear Katniss' voice.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" She asks quietly. Atala reaches us at that moment.

"The next time it happens anyone involved will have a punishment decided by the Gamemakers!" She tells the entire room. My eyes dart quickly to the stands where the Gamemakers are on their feet and watching the conflict with almost eager eyes. I look back at Cato as his eyes come down from the Gamemakers as well. He looks down into his District partner's eyes as she speaks to him urgently.

"What is the matter with you, Gale?" Katniss asks.

"Why did you get involved?" I respond with a question of my own.

"I didn't want to see you get killed is why," she answers. "What is going on?"

"Nothing. It doesn't matter. It's over now," I say taking a deep breath before I turn from Cato and walk to the other side of the room.

The next hour passes quickly although there are several times where I feel eyes watching me from across the gymnasium. I try to turn but Katniss stays at my side constantly.

"Stop it," she says harshly when I try to look. "Don't worry about him. Worry about learning this."

I huff in irritation but concede. It's probably best if I don't see Cato again before the Games but I know that is impossible. I just have to maintain better self control.

After training Katnissand I head up to our floor. We ride up with four other tributes that keeping eyeing me with expressions from envy to fear to respect. I'm not sure I deserve any of those things but I just stare at a spot in the top corner of the elevator until it's just Katniss and I left. I let my breath out quickly.

"What is going on?" Katniss asks for what seems like the hundredth time.

"I told you already to let it go," I say evenly.

"Why are you acting this way?" She asks.

"What way?"

"This way, Gale. You're short with me and hiding things. You think I don't know but I know. I can see in your eyes that you are keeping something from me and I want to know what's going on!" She raises her voice until she is yelling by the end.

The elevator doors open on our floor and I push past her to head toward my room. I feel her hand on my elbow.

"Will you please just talk to me?" She asks loudly.

"No," I respond quietly.

"Gale," she begins but I pull my elbow away and keep walking. I walk to my door before she catches me again.

"I'm not letting this go until you tell me what's going on," she states firmly.

"Nothing is going on. Will you please just drop it now, Katniss?" I yell back. In the silence that follows she drops my arm and I notice a movement in the doorway to the hall. Effie and Haymitch are standing in the entry watching us with wide eyes. Katniss turns and heads toward her room and I enter mine and slam the door.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks to those of you still reading after my inexcusable absence. I feel as though I probably lost some of you but maybe it was just the holiday this week. To help make it up to you here is the next chapter in less than a week :) Hope you enjoy! Please take the time to review. It means a lot to me.**

**Disclaimer: Still own nothing... all belongs to Suzanne Collins**

Chapter 8

I walk across the room quickly and sit in a chair by the window. It doesn't take long for me to realize that as exhausted as I am, sitting is not really an option for me right now. I jump up and begin to pace the length of my room. It hasn't even been an hour when I hear the knock and someone calling me for dinner. I sigh and close my eyes as I contemplate staying in here instead of facing the stupidity of my actions today. It will never work. I can't hide what I did and I need Haymitchs help to fix it.

I walk down the hall and everyone else is already seated. I sit in the empty seat next to Katniss and she looks at me.

"You okay?" She whispers but everyone is looking at us so I just nod.

"So, what happened?" Haymitch asks. I stare at my plate but don't speak. I feel Katniss' eyes on me but she doesn't speak either. "You do realize that one conversation with some of my fellow mentors and I will know everything, right? I promise you don't want me to resort to that."

"There was a confrontation… or two, in front of the Gamemakers," I say firmly. He's right; it's no good trying to hide it.

"What?" Effie asks.

"There were a few arguments between another tribute and myself that escaladed to the point that we had to be separated. Atala kept it from turning physical both times but she said anyone involved the next time would be punished," I say looking up into Effie's wide eyes.

"You were fighting with another tribute?" Effie asks. My eyes flicker over to Haymitch whose expression is grim.

"Yes," I answer almost defiantly.

"Who else got involved?" Haymitch asks, eyeing Katniss.

"I was only trying to help," Katniss says defending her actions. Haymitch sighs and shakes his head.

"First, I can't get you two to get along so I separate you. After you are separated he gets into a fight and you jump in to help him. Do you see the problem here?" Haymitch asks her harshly.

"I couldn't just stand by and watch him get punished for fighting," Katniss answers back. She's meeting Haymitchs eyes with a look of determination.

"What started the fight?" Effie asks. I look at Haymitch and then down at my plate.

"That doesn't matter. No matter what anyone says you don't fight before you reach the arena. Do you understand?" Haymitch raises his voice to me and I fight the urge to tell him off.

"I understand," I say and I stand from the table and walk quickly back to my room.

Once in my room, I resume pacing the floor. I have to keep my feelings in check from here on out. I don't know how but Cato seems to know exactly what he has to do to provoke me. I have to stop myself for just a few more days.

I sigh as I crawl into my bed. I'm sure I won't be sleeping much. I need to find an outlet for all this anger before it literally rips me apart. On top of that tomorrow will be a major turning point.

Tomorrow, in addition to paying attention to the Careers I will have to also figure out what I will do for my private session with the Gamemakers. I'm sure that I will do some archery but whatever I do there will be out shadowed by Katniss coming directly after me. Maybe that's for the best. If I get a bad training score then maybe the Careers will leave me alone.

It doesn't feel as if I've been asleep very long before I hear Effie calling through the door to wake me. I rise and take a shower before I head to the dining room for breakfast. Katniss doesn't arrive until sometime later. I've almost finished eating. She has dark circles under her eyes as if she hasn't slept well either. She sits quietly and eats the meal before Haymitch speaks.

"I want you to work together today," He says in a voice that says he expects a fight.

"Okay," Katniss says softly.

"Why?" I ask.

"I think she might be able to keep you under control," Haymitch responds.

"I'm not sure it's wise to have her closer to me if it starts again," I say looking Haymitch in the eyes. I don't understand what he's doing. Why is he putting her in the middle of this again?

"I think it's the best way for both of you so you'll do it!" Haymitch raises his voice. I clench my jaw.

"No," I say and I feel Katniss staring at me.

"Katniss go back to your room until training," Haymitch says firmly. She hesitates but then rises and walks swiftly from the room.

"What do you think this will do? Putting her closer is a bad idea. If Cato says something -" I begin but Haymitch cuts me off.

"She already knows that something is going on. She may not know it concerns her but she knows something is wrong. I spoke with her last night and she is concerned. She said when she was with you later in the day you were able to better control yourself. That made my decision. If you get executed for fighting with Cato before you enter the arena how can you keep her safe?" Haymitch says staring me down. I see his point when he puts it like that but I stare back for a bit before I speak.

"Fine," I concede and stand from the table.

Katniss doesn't speak as we head down in the elevator. As a matter of fact we don't speak unless it's unavoidable during training. I pay close attention to Cato and the rest of the Careers. They seem to be completely uninterested in us today. I try not to think about what they may be planning. I also notice the girl from District Eleven has joined us at several of the stations. She and Katniss speak briefly.

Lunch comes and Katniss and I sit at the same table in the corner. I don't look up from my plate as I eat. I am just beginning to realize that I spent too much time concentrating on the Careers this morning and now I am about to go into my private session with the Gamemakers completely unprepared.

They begin calling tributes starting with Marvel and then the girl from District One. Being from District Twelve means we will be at the end of the afternoon. Each tribute has fifteen minutes with the Gamemakers to show them what they can do. Since the training isn't made public the scores are what the people of the Capitol use to decide who to bet on as well as who to sponsor. I have briefly contemplated throwing the session to get a bad score because I honestly don't care who bets on me but I realized that I need to care. If I'm going to keep Katniss alive I'll need all the sponsor help I can get. When they call the girl from District Eleven, Katniss and I are alone.

"Don't be nervous," she tells me. "You'll do fine."

"Thanks," I respond quietly. I am nervous, very nervous. I'm nervous about my session and about Cato and the Careers. And I'm nervous about the interviews in two days.

"What are you going to do?" She asks curiously.

"Not sure," I answer honestly. "I'll have to show them I know how to use a bow. Other than that I guess I'll just wing it."

"Show them some of your snares," she tells me. "You know some really complex ones that you can put together pretty quickly. Do that."

"You're right. Thanks," I say smiling. "How about you? Archery is definitely your strongest point."

"I'll just try to show them what I can do," she says.

We sit in silence for several minutes trying to decide what to say if anything. We have hurt each other so badly in the last few days that I think we are both searching for the words to make things better when they call my name.

"Good luck," she says I stand to leave. I turn to her and smile.

"I'd say the same to you but you've never needed luck," I say and she smiles back.

I'm thinking about that last conversation as I enter the gymnasium. I see the Gamemakers and I'm immediately worried. They have had too much to drink and are singing a ridiculous drinking song of some sort and very few even look my way when I enter. I walk straight to the knot tying station and grab some rope. I do two of the most complex snares I know in less than ten minutes. The Gamemakers are paying more attention to their food than to me. I become completely enraged and I have to hold my tongue. I take a deep breath and close my eyes. When I do I see Katniss' face. I have to remember I need a decent score to help Katniss. Of course I'm not going to get that if they aren't paying attention but what can I do about that?

I head to the archery station and grab a bow and sheath of arrows. I take a few shots at the targets and realize these weapons are very different than what I am used to. Then I turn and take a shot at one of the dummies at the spear throwing station from across the arena. I notice that a few more heads turn in my direction then. I only take two more shots at the dummy before my time is up and I'm dismissed.

"Thank you," I say as I replace the bow and sheath to the archery station and head to the elevators. That was pathetic. I'll be lucky to pull a seven with no more than I had to show them.

When I reach our floor I see Haymitch, Effie, Portia, and Cinna are there waiting to pounce on me. They all start talking at once, wanting to know how it went, what I did.

It's crazy for several minutes because everyone is talking over everyone else. I can't get a word in. Haymitch silences them before he speaks.

"How do you think you did?" He asks. I think for a moment before I respond.

"I'm not sure if it matters. They were barely paying any attention to me anyway," I answer truthfully.

"What did you do?" Portia asks stepping toward me. I started to explain what all I did when we hear the elevator doors open. Haymitch, Effie, and Cinna step into the hall to greet Katniss but all I hear is her door slam.

"Was she crying?" I hear Effie ask as she and Haymitch head down the hall toward her room.

That's all I need to hear before I head down the hall toward her door. I get there just after Haymitch and Effie. She has the door bolted and she's screaming at them to go away but I can hear her sobbing. The others head back to the sitting room but I can't leave. Even if I wanted to I would never be able to leave. She sounds like she is in so much pain I can't imagine what just happened. I knock quietly and she ignores me.

"Please let me in," I say. Nothing but sobbing for a few more seconds. "Catnip, it's me. Please let me in." I hear the door unlock and I turn the knob.

She's standing a few feet from the door with her back to me. I step into the room and close and lock the door behind me. I see her shoulders shaking and hear her sobs and without thinking I step to her and turn her toward me before wrapping my arms around her. She sobs into my chest for several minutes, unable to speak. I guide her to the bed and sit her on the edge. I kneel in front of her so my face is on her level.

"Calm down, its okay," I say soothingly.

"How do you know? You have no idea what I just did!" She screams at me, still sobbing.

"So talk to me," I say raising her chin to make her look me in the eyes. She takes a few deep breaths to try to calm the sobs.

"It was horrible," she begins. "They wouldn't even pay attention to me. I totally lost it. They're probably sending Peacekeepers up to arrest me right now!" Her voice rising to hysteria at the end.

"Calm down," I say softly. I stroke her cheeks with my thumbs trying to soothe her. It seems to be working. "Now, start at the beginning."

"I walked in and they weren't paying attention," she begins. "I went straight for the archery station and grabbed the weapons. I headed toward the middle of the arena to shoot at something other than just the targets. I missed my first shot because I wasn't used to the bow." She has to pause and I can tell she is embarrassed. She takes another deep breath before she continues.

"I went back and shot a few at the targets until I was comfortable. Then, I walked back to the center and I shot the dummy right in the heart. Then I shot the punching bag rope and knocked the bag to the floor. I did a roll and came up and shot out one of the lights. It was some of my best shooting…" she trails off at the end.

"But?" I ask because I know there has to be more.

"But it didn't matter. They still weren't paying attention! So, I… I…" she trails off again, unable to form what she did into words.

"Katniss," I begin. "Look at me." I turn her face back to mine and force her eyes to meet mine. "It's just me. Talk to me."

"I shot an arrow at them," she says softly. My heart stops momentarily when the realization sinks in.

"You… shot… at the Gamemakers?" I ask, completely in shock.

"Yes," she responds and the sobbing begins again. I sit next to her and rub her back unable to speak for several minutes. I'm filled with so many conflicting emotions. The pride I feel that she had the courage that I didn't, that she stood up to them. Then there's the horrible sense of dread. What will they do? Will they arrest her?

Not long after I hear Effie knock lightly on the door to tell us that it's time for dinner. Katniss stands and goes into the bathroom to wash her face. When she comes out I stand to walk with her down the hall but she stops me at the door.

"I'm sorry," she says.

"For what?" I ask, confused.

"I don't know if you should even consider teaming up with me in the arena after what I did. They're probably thinking of some horribly painful end for me as we speak," she says hollowly.

"I'm here," I say simply. It's all I have to say.

"You always are," she responds, looking me straight in the eyes. We head down the hall to dinner.

Once we are all seated they serve us with soup. As we are eating Haymitch, Effie and the stylists are talking amongst themselves about the weather but once the meal is served Haymitch turns on us.

"How bad did you do?" Haymitch asks looking toward Katniss but I jump in before she can start.

"I don't think it mattered much. By the time I got there they were so drunk they barely paid attention to me," I say quickly.

"What about you, sweetheart?" Haymitch asks, looking back at Katniss. She narrows her eyes and I know it's in response to being called 'sweetheart.'

"I shot at the Gamemakers," she says defiantly. There is silence at the table as what she says registers with everyone and Katniss' eyes meet mine momentarily.

"You did what?" Effie asks, horrified.

"I shot at them. Well, not exactly. It was frustrating that they weren't paying any attention to me with my life on the line and I snapped and shot an arrow at the apple in their pigs' mouth!" She explained. I have to control my expression because it wouldn't due at all to smile at this moment but that's what I want to do.

"And how did they react?" Cinna asks.

"I don't know, I left after that," she answers honestly.

"You didn't wait to be dismissed?" Effie gasps.

"I dismissed myself," Katniss answers rebelliously. I can't help myself then. I laugh. I laugh so hard there are tears in my eyes. Soon Katniss is laughing and Haymitch and the stylist join in. Effie sits with her lips pressed together tightly but I'm not sure if she's holding in a smile or not.

"Well, nothing to do now but see how the scores go," Haymitch says as we calm down enough to speak.

"Will they punish my family?" Katniss asks. I know her well enough to know that this is the only fear she really has about her actions. She cares more about her mother and Prim than what they may do to her.

"Doubt it. It wouldn't make sense if they punish them without cause and they can't reveal what happened in your session so I'll bet they are safe," Haymitch responds. I hear Katniss sigh in relief.

"Will they arrest me?" Katniss asks softly.

"It would be difficult to replace you at this point and they still need a girl tribute from District Twelve so I don't think so," Haymitch responds honestly. Her face is still tense. "They will take it out on you in the arena. It would be a safe bet that your punishment will be there."

"I'm pretty sure she can handle it. That's what we've been training for," I say in response.

"Very true," Haymitch responds and Katniss relaxes a bit more.

"How did they react?" Haymitch asks Katniss after several more minutes.

"It was crazy once I turned the arrow on them. They were shocked and scared… one man tripped and fell into the punch bowl," she begins to smile at the memory.

That's all it takes and we are laughing again.

"I'm sure I'll get a bad score," Katniss says sadly.

"It doesn't matter as much as you think, Katniss. They will just think that it was your strategy. People throw their sessions to hide their ability," Portia replies.

We all settle into the meal talking about scores and strategies. It's the best meal I can remember having since we starting training and I don't even pay attention to the food.

After dinner we all head into the sitting room to watch the scores announced on television. They show a picture of the tribute and then their training score shows under their picture. The Careers get typically good eight-to-ten range numbers while most of the other tributes are averaging a five. Rue surprises me when she pulls a seven. I lift my eyebrows and look at Katniss who looks equally impressed. Rue is so tiny I can't believe it.

Finally we are at District Twelve. My picture pops up first and then the number ten is flashing. Everyone starts chattering and I'm actually surprised. So, I guess some of the Gamemakers were watching after all. Katniss looks extremely nervous so I take her hand as her picture appears and she's digging her nails into my flesh. Then they are flashing the number eleven. There's a moment of absolute silence in the room before I turn to her.

"There's still some room for improvement there," I say seriously, before I break into a smile.

I jump from the couch and pull her into my arms. Everyone in the room is on their feet. Effie is squealing in delight and everyone is congratulating us on our scores but all I can think is she beat out everyone else. She has the top training score!

"I don't understand. Why would they do that?" She asks Haymitch.

"They must like your temper," he answers. "They need players who are interesting to keep the crowd watching." He looks pointedly at me, my arms still around Katniss. I release her and Cinna grabs her for a hug.

We stand around in a group for quite some time talking about everything from interview outfits to our training scores and during this time Katniss stays by my side. At some point Effie makes mention of an early day tomorrow and Katniss and I are shooed out to go to bed while they stay and talk. We walk down the hall and when we get to her door I can't help myself. I pull her to me and hug her.

"I told you it would be okay," I say softly in her ear.

"You did. I should've just listened to you and saved myself the stress," I can hear the smile in her voice and she keeps her arms around me.

"Remember that next time," I say and release her. I smile at her again before I head down to my room. It's been an emotionally charged day and after not sleeping well last night, I'm exhausted. It's not until I reach my doorknob that I sense her behind me. I turn and she has followed me. She looks up at me for a minute before wrapping her arms around me again and leaning her head on my chest.

"Thank you, again. When I can make myself forget for just a moment what's coming, I realize that you are the only thing making this bearable for me, Gale," she says into my chest. I know that she doesn't want to hear it so I don't say it. I do think it, though.

_I'd do anything for you. I love you._


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Hunger Games.**

**Chapter 9**

I lie in bed, exhausted but unable to slow my mind enough to sleep. Katniss' defiant act this afternoon is playing in my mind. I wish I could have witnessed it. The fact that she let me in to comfort her when she wouldn't allow anyone else to see her that way made me feel more like the way it used to be. I know she doesn't return my feelings but I'm glad I could have a few moments with her where we could just be us, the way we were for a while longer. I roll on my side and will sleep to come and it finally does.

I'm roused by Effie's rapping again and her reminder of another "big, big, big day." I'm actually getting used to this. Funny, I never would have imagined that possible.

I rise and shower before heading down to the dining room for breakfast. Haymitch is already seated at the table.

"So, what's the game plan for today?" I ask curiously while filling a plate full of food. Haymitch looks at me and narrows his eyes.

"Today, Effie and I are going to split you two up and coach you for the interviews tomorrow night," he answers.

"I thought we would be coached together?" Katniss asks, entering the room.

"It's just easier if we only have to focus on you one at a time for these sessions," Haymitch answers. "You will have four hours with Effie for presentation and four with me for content. Katniss will start with Effie, Gale with me." We nod. I sense that there is more to this story than he is letting on but I've actually come to trust Haymitch. If he thinks it would be better to coach us separately I'm sure he has a reason.

After we eat I find myself in the sitting room on the couch with Haymitch staring at me for several minutes. I grow uncomfortable the longer he stares.

"What?" I finally ask.

"I've got a new idea for you, just trying to decide if you can pull it off," he answers, still eyeing me.

"What kind of idea?" I ask cautiously.

"Well, I really came up with this one last night. The Gamemakers gave her that eleven, they have to like her. She will definitely heat things up. She's got a lot of attitude and I'm going to have trouble with her in the interviews. The Gamemakers love her but for her to win the sponsors she has to win the hearts of the Capitol viewers. That's where you come in," he says, and then he looks in my eyes to see if I follow.

"What?" I ask. I can't seem to put together what it is he needs me for.

"She's rude and she can't act," he says exasperated.

"I can't act either," I say back.

"But you can be honest," he says. I stare at him blankly and he continues. "I know I told you to keep your feelings to yourself but I think that we should use this. Katniss needs an edge. If you go out there tomorrow night and tell them all why you volunteered they'll eat it up." It takes several minutes for me to find my voice again.

"You … you want me to confess my love for her on live television in front of all of Panem?" I ask skeptically. The sheer idiocy of this plan keeps me from realizing the truth of my words.

"Yes. Don't you see? This could be the edge she needs to win over the sponsors," he says.

"She'll kill me herself if I go through with it," I say seriously. I know it's true. She will never forgive me for this.

"She will not. We'll explain why after the fact. She can't know about our plan beforehand or she won't play it off well enough," he says. I think he's just making this up as he goes.

We spend the entire four hours of our session working on my phrasing. It's almost time for lunch before he asks, "Are you going to be able to pull this off?"

"If you think this will give her an edge, I'll do it," I say honestly. It's true, Haymitch hasn't steered me wrong yet. How odd that I would come to trust someone other than Katniss with my secrets just in time to die. I never would have expected the person I come to trust to be Haymitch.

We are sitting at the dining table just being served lunch when I hear a door slam down the hall. Then I hear someone stomping down the hall towards us and I wonder briefly what's going on. Katniss enters the dining room wearing a floor length gown she has pulled up to her thighs. She's scowling and looks remarkably cute for someone in such a bad mood. She stomps to the table and plops in a chair.

"Rough morning?" I ask with a bit of a smirk. She turns her head slowly in my direction with a look that threatens violence if I continue speaking, so I smile and look away without another word.

Effie comes out about a minute later and they don't speak to one another during the meal. Haymitch and I try to make small talk and I get a little worried about the time I will have to spend with Effie this afternoon.

The afternoon passes fairly quickly. Effie seems already exhausted from fighting with Katniss all morning so her criticism is half hearted. She works a lot on my posture and making eye contact which is hard for me, especially if I will be sharing my deepest secret with all of Panem. The other thing she works on is smiling. She makes me repeat a bunch of sentences working on my smiling and it feels so ridiculous.

The only time I truly smile back home is when I'm with Katniss anyway so hopefully I'll be able to think about that during my interview. Of course I don't really want to think about how furious I'm about to make her after finally getting things back on track with us. It seems as if I can't be happy for any length of time.

I was planning to tell Katniss everything after the Reaping. That evening, in fact. I had the whole thing planned out. It was going to be perfect. I had waited so long out of fear of my own feelings but I was beginning to realize that being with her was too important. I had swollowed my pride after a long discussion with my mother.

She had come into my room one night about a month before the Reaping. She told me she needed to discuss something important. She started talking about my future working in the mines. She was terrified at the thought of one of her children working in the same place the love of her life was killed. She started to cry. I had a difficult time watching anyone cry. I tried to tell her I'd be fine but that only made her angry. She told me that life is too short to waste. She told me to tell Katniss everything. I was shocked to hear her say that. I knew somewhere deep down that I loved Katniss and wanted to marry her but I knew Katniss didn't want that. I had never admitted aloud my feelings about her to anyone. My mother knew, though.

I thought a lot about what she said over the remaining weeks before the Reaping. I knew we would both be nervous until it was over. I knew the feeling of relief that would flood us when it was behind us for another year. That evening is always one of the best. I thought I could make it even better by tapping into the positive atmosphere.

All my plans for the future went out the window when they drew Prim's name. Katniss had forgiven me for volunteering when I told her I loved her and infuriated her again. She has just forgiven me for that and now I'm going to tell all of Panem how I feel about her on live television. On top of that she will be on the stage and I'm sure she will not forgive me for this one. Not anytime soon.

When my time is up with Effie we head to the dining room for dinner. As we start the meal I realize that Katniss hasn't joined us. Haymitch says she wasn't feeling well but from his tone I can tell he's drunk and probably started drinking during her coaching session. Uh oh. I excuse myself from the table and head down the hall toward her room. I knock lightly on the door.

"Catnip?" I ask, knocking again when she doesn't answer. I hear the sound of glass shattering. "Katniss? Katniss, open the door!" I'm turning the handle with no luck. I hear more glass breaking. "Katniss!" I yell and I'm about to break down the door when the Avox girl walks up and uses her key to let me in. I rush to Katniss where she sits on the floor in a mess of broken glass. There has to be six or eight plates shattered as well as several glasses. The Avox girl stands in the doorway staring at all the broken glass around the room with her eyes wide.

"Just leave it!" Katniss yells at the girl. "Just leave it alone!"

The Avox closes the door and walks to the bathroom while I lift Katniss in my arms and sit her on her bed. She returns and hands me a wet cloth and I rub the blood from several cuts on Katniss' face and hands. I barely register that the Avox is cleaning up the glass.

"Haymitch called me a dead slug," Katniss tells me in a small voice.

"What?" I ask confused.

"He said that I have the personality of a dead slug," she says.

"You do not," I tell her. "Maybe you just seem that way to him because he's a drunk." She almost smiles in response to my words.

She rises and walks over to help with the glass so I follow. The three of us clean up the mess in the silence and the Avox girl slips from the room. I help Katniss to bed after checking her cuts one more time. No major damage, nothing still bleeding. I tuck her in and I'm about to leave when she grabs my hand.

"We were wrong to stand by that day, Gale," she says softly and I know immediately that she means when the Avox was captured. I sigh and sit on the edge of her bed, her small hand still wrapped around mine.

"I know," I whisper back. "It just happened so fast…" I trail off. She remains silent for several minutes as we both contemplate our decisions that day. I start to shift my weight again to leave. Her next words come as a shock, even to me.

"Please don't go. Not until I fall asleep," she whispers to me. She sounds so broken and scared, I don't think twice before I respond.

"I'll stay right here," I promise her. It doesn't take long before her breathing becomes deep and even. Her grip on my hand loosens slightly and I pull my hand from hers.

"Goodnight, Catnip," I whisper and before I can stop myself, I bend down and kiss her forehead softly.

I walk quietly from the room and barely remember climbing into my own bed. I lie there thinking how this night I finally got what I always wanted, just in time to ruin it all again.

When I wake, I roll to my side and look out the window to the morning sky. It's not as early as it has been the last few days when I was awakened by Effie but since our training and coaching are over and today is the interviews my prep team will be here to help me get ready in a bit. I'm lucky on this one thing; Katniss has probably already been up for hours so they can start getting her ready. I walk over to the microphone and order some breakfast in my room and have just finished when my prep team arrives. I shower and they spend the next several hours preparing me to go before the entire nation on live television.

When Portia arrives she is carrying a black garment bag. She lays it across my bed and sits me on a stool to touch up my makeup and hair. Once she is satisfied she helps me into my outfit. A fitted black suit with a few jeweled accents. I am about to ask when she walks me to the mirror and I see that they are tiny flame accents. Now I understand.

"Wait until you see Katniss," Portia says after she has dismissed the prep team. She fusses with the collar of my jacket trying to get it to lay just right.

"I'm sure she'll look beautiful," I say honestly. "She always does." Portia just smiles.

"You're all set for the interview then?" She asks quietly.

"I have an idea of what I'm going to say, yes," I answer vaguely.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asks, knowing as she always does there is more to the story.

"Haymitch wants me to be honest about how I feel in the interview. He wants me to tell Caesar that I volunteered to save Katniss because I love her. Portia, I don't know if I can do this. She's going to hate me if I go through with it. I'm not sure if it's the right thing to do," I say. It feels better just to get the words out. Portia's expression is thoughtful for several minutes before she replies.

"Has Haymitch ever given you bad advice?" She asks.

"No," I answer honestly.

"I think that's your answer. If he says it's the right thing to do you should trust him on that. He was smart enough to win the Hunger Games in his time so keep that in mind. As for Katniss, she will understand everything in time. Trust me," she finishes.

"You honestly think this is right?" I ask. She nods.

"Well, Cinna and I will be on the platform directly across from you when the interviews start. You two should head down in about thirty minutes but in the mean time just hang out up here. Cinna and I have to get ready and meet Haymitch and Effie downstairs," Portia tells me as she leaves the room.

I pace while waiting for the time to pass. I'm nervous. I can admit that much to myself. I'm not good in front of crowds and speaking in public has never been my strong suit. I fidget with my jacket until I can't stand it anymore and I step out in the hall to wait for Katniss by the elevator. I have just closed my door and turned when I see her door open and she steps out.

I can't speak. I can't think. My head was down when her door opened and so starting with her feet, I noticed her shoes. She's wearing heels but her toes are showing with delicate flames painted on them. The dress almost touches her toes. It has jewels similar to the ones on my suit but they are everywhere. Completely covering her in flames as she steps forward and I look up to see every delicate curve of her body. When I get to her face I see the beautiful smile and glowing grey eyes. Every inch of her flesh is shimmering and her hair is wrapped around her head and her braid falls on her right shoulder. She looks every bit as radiant as the sun.

She steps forward and looks down, a little embarrassed by my staring.

"It's still just me, Gale," she says quietly.

"You're amazing," I say and then I realize my mistake and feel like an idiot. "I mean, you look amazing," I correct. "More than amazing. I can't even describe…" I trail off and she blushes.

After a few seconds, I regain a bit of my composure. "Shall we?" I ask, offering her my arm. She laughs and links her arm through mine as we walk toward the elevator. I notice the flames on her fingernails and take her hand that is resting on my arm to examine the design closer.

"How appropriate, Girl on Fire," I say quietly. She laughs again. I love making her laugh.

Once the elevator arrives we step on and are heading down without another word. We don't make it far though, before the elevator stops and Rue steps on with her District partner. Rue looks adorable and seems to have wings in her shimmering dress. The way she moves adds to the effect and I can't help but smile at her when she looks at me. She smiles back tentatively.

We ride down in silence and I'm watching the Capitol grow larger out the window trying not to stare at Katniss but wanting to so badly. When the elevator stops again I turn expecting us to be on the ground floor but no such luck. The doors open and my heart stops. Cato and his District partner step onto the elevator, his eyes trained on mine. I take a deep breath, knowing I have to keep my composure for one more night.

All of the sudden, Cato reaches out and punches a button on the panel with his fist. As he does this the elevator lurches to a stop and we all almost fall to the floor. I grab Katniss' arm to keep her balanced and instinctively take a step forward and move to hide her behind my body. She is peering around me, trying to step out, but I'm not looking at her. My eyes are trained on Cato.

"Does your little girlfriend know you have personally signed her death warrant, Lover Boy?" Cato asks harshly. I don't respond. I stare him down because I can't think of anything to say. I hear Katniss draw in a sharp breath and I know she is pieces everything together. This is exactly what I didn't want to happen. She doesn't need to worry about this.

"Giving me the silent treatment again? That's okay, actions speak louder than words anyway and my actions in the arena tomorrow will take care of anything I haven't said to you already," Cato is smiling at me. "Of course, maybe we came to the wrong person in the arrangement. With that eleven, she would probably be of more use to us than you."

I start to take a step forward before I feel Katniss' hand on my arm. She is right; I can't do this now. I can't give in and fight him now. Tomorrow we will be in the arena and I can end this game of his then.

"You won't lay a hand on her, Cato. I've made this clear before," I answer in an even tone. It's him that takes a step forward this time. He is eye to eye with me and staring me down. I sense someone else moving and suddenly the boy from District Eleven is stepping between us.

"Why don't we save this for the arena before we are all late," He recommends quietly. His presence alone is intimidating because he's even taller than me. His deep voice booms even at the low volume. Cato eyes him momentarily before stepping back and releasing the elevator so we begin to descend once more.

I don't know if I can look at Katniss right now without losing it and killing Cato so I stare forward toward the elevator doors. I'm so worried about her. Her breathing is uneven and she is fighting hard to hide it. I've come to notice every small change in her demeanor over the last four years. Like our eyes, our breathing speaks to one another. When we can't speak on a hunt, we can still communicate. Her breathing is telling me she is angry. She's not going to be happy that I've kept this from her.

Finally, the elevators open to the ground floor. Cato and the girl from his District step off without a backward glance and I take Katniss by the hand and pull her from the elevator. We walk around the corner away from where the other tributes are lining up.

"What's going on, Gale?" She asks sharply, looking me in the eyes. I raise my hands and place them on her arms, near her shoulders.

"Cato approached me and wanted me to join them. I told him no," I answer honestly. I really don't want to give her details. She narrows her eyes at me.

"When?" She asks.

"The night after our first training session," I answer quietly.

"Why did he call me your girlfriend?" She asks sharply. I knew it wouldn't escape her notice but I hoped she would overlook it because of everything else that happened.

"I'm not sure," I try to lie but she lifts her eyebrows because she knows me so well.

"He called you 'Lover Boy,' Gale. What is that about?" She asks and the anger that has returned to her voice is almost painful to hear.

"He was on the roof that night. The night you and I decided to work together in the arena. We fought and you left the roof but I stayed and he stepped out. He heard everything we said to each other. I'm sorry, Katniss. I had no idea he was there," I lean down so my eyes are on her level. My hands are still on her arms and she doesn't seem nearly as upset as I thought she would be.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asks.

"You didn't need to worry about it," I answer honestly. "It's not a problem."

"You didn't have to do that for me," she says quietly. "They'll kill us both now."

"It's done," I say firmly. "He won't touch you, Katniss. I promise you that!"

Katniss smiles at me and leans into my chest. I wrap my arms around her and she takes a deep breath.

"We need to get back," I say quietly. I'm even more nervous now about the interview because I don't want her to hate me and then try to work alone in the arena. If I'm not with her it will be so much harder to keep her safe.

As we round the corner we almost run into Rue and the boy from District Eleven. I tense, wondering what they are doing there. Were they listening?

"It seems we have common enemies," says the boy, who is really more the size of a horse than a man even. I even feel small compared to him. I raise my eyebrows but feel Katniss slip her hand into mine. She squeezes and I look down. She has her eyes on little Rue who is peering around her District partner towards Katniss.

"The Careers approached me as well. I turned them down. They have threatened to come after us," he says. He is very soft spoken for someone so massive. "Rue is not my girlfriend but I can't let them have her. She's just so tiny and she has to have a chance to get away from the Cornucopia."

"That's what I'm worried about too," I say, still unsure. "If it's just me trying to take on the Careers so she can get away, I'll never hold out very long."

"Together we will hold out," he says, extending his hand. "I'm Thresh."

"Gale," I answer, honestly shocked at the turn the evening seems to have taken. I take his outstretched hand and shake it. If Katniss and I have allies in the arena that will help us out significantly. If I had to choose, it would be someone like Thresh. He seems to have similar values to my own. And he's turned his back on the Careers anyway so he's as prepared as I am for this battle. I look to Katniss who is smiling at Rue as she steps out from behind Thresh.

"I'm Rue," she says softly. I suddenly understand Katniss' expressions when it came to this little girl. As she steps forward, hand extended to me her mannerisms remind me of Prim. That's what Katniss sees as well, I realize that now.

I smile down and shake Rue's outstretched hand. I worry about this pairing for the first time as I watch Katniss smiling at Rue. This can only be temporary and what happens when it ends?

"We should be heading over to line up," I say. Everyone nods and we walk over to where the other tributes are. As we take our places in line, I start to focus again on the interview. I wonder what will happen now. Katniss and I have allies and if she is too angry with me to work with us what will that mean?

**A/N: Okay, I'm putting this at the end because I wanted you all to read this chapter first. This is one of the first chapters I wrote when I started this story because I knew exactly what I wanted to happen. I love this chapter but I'm terrified. I know where this story is going and have my base story already written. Finding time and motivation to single out my chapters and fill them in is rough but I'm terrified you are all going to hate this chapter. I know, I know, I know that Peeta declared his love for Katniss in his interview. Tell me if you think Gale will follow through? Again, sorry for the delay with this chapter but honestly my nerves got the better of me.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games... that's all Suzanne Collins.**

**Chapter 10**

I know at this point I have to think fast. I need to decide exactly what I will do once I walk onto that stage. I wonder if maybe Haymitch was wrong about letting her in on the plan. I consider my options briefly and realize there's no time. We are walking forward, following behind Rue and Thresh onto the stage.

My hand reaches out to Katniss before I realize what I'm doing. I touch her elbow lightly and she turns her head sideways toward me as she continues forward slowly.

"Do you trust me?" I hear myself whisper as I lean forward. I don't have time to explain my question as the bright lights hit us and her face turns away from me. As we walk, I think I see her nod but I'm not sure if it was meant for me.

As my eyes readjust to the blinding light I see the City Circle. The entire area is packed with people including all the streets and alleyways. It's a massive crowd. The balconies of every nearby building are lined with television cameras trained on us.

My breathing picks up and I sense Katniss is having a similar reaction. I see by her shoulders moving that her breathing has taken on the same uneven quality it had on the elevator. We take our seats and I am at the end. As the male tribute from District Twelve I am slated to go last. I am going to have to sit through twenty three other interviews before I can say my piece. I just wonder if Katniss will understand my cryptic question enough to forgive me if I follow through with this.

I'm aware by the roar of the crowd when Caesar Flickerman enters the stage. His hair, eyelids, and lips are a pale powder blue. He tells a few jokes but I'm not paying attention. Instead, I'm scanning the stage across from us where all the support teams are. Stylists are on the front row and I spot Portia and Cinna easily enough, and then I see Haymitch behind them. He nods to me as if in encouragement.

The interviews begin and I start ticking through the District numbers in my head. I should be paying attention and learning more about the other tributes but I honestly don't want to know. The good thing is each interview is timed. Three minutes. I can last that long, right? I can't even convince myself I'll last three seconds once the words leave my mouth. Katniss is going to kill me. I can't believe I'm going to do this.

A hush falls over the crowd and I glance up as my newest ally steps to the microphone. Caesar is very sweet to Rue. He compliments her seven in training. It really is amazing and I wonder what she showed the Gamemakers in order for them to give her that. I guess I will find out soon enough. When Caesar asks her about her greatest strength she tells the audience she's hard to catch.

Next up is Thresh. He stays quiet, only answering yes or no questions. He blows off Caesar's banter. He is very intimidating and I wish this could have been my approach. Instead, I get to be the idiot who volunteered to go into the Games with the girl he loves. But then I realize something that had slipped my mind in the week of grappling with my decision to be here. I also get to be the beginner of a revolution. All the rebels in all the Districts will be listening to me tonight. I need to use this opportunity to start something. I need to show that I'm not playing by the Capitols' rules. That's the purpose behind this; I see that now.

I realize I've lost focus again when Katniss' rises from the chair beside me. I watch her walk to the center of the stage. Every tiny movement makes the dress look like it is igniting. She does look incredible.

Caesar asks her what has impressed her most about the Capitol and she seems to fumble to find words momentarily. Her eyes are searching the platform across from us. As my eyes dart that way I catch sight of her on the jumbo screen across from us. I can't look away, momentarily lost in the sight of her grey eyes painted with dark colors.

She must have replied because the audience is laughing. I see Cinna smile and he seems to be holding her gaze. That's who she was looking for. Now I see. I lose track of the interview again as I watch her face in the screen.

I hear as she makes a mention of the dress she is wearing now and holds the sides of the skirt to give the crowd a better view. She's still looking straight at Cinna and she makes a small twirl. The audience beings to ooh and ah.

Caesar asks her to do that again and she lifts her hands and spins around and around and seems as if her dress is on fire completely. The audience goes crazy. I smile because she looks so beautiful but also because she's doing so well. This is not her normal behavior but she's playing the crowd just right. When she stops she grabs Caesar's arm. She tells him she's dizzy and I hear her giggle. I have honestly never heard her giggle. It's very cute but where did this girl come from? She must be nervous.

Caesar wraps an arm around her and makes a comment about keeping her safe. I'm a little distracted when I catch sight of her face on the screen again. Her face is flushed and she is smiling so sincerely. The camera cuts to a shot of Haymitch and I guess they made a joke about his head dive at the reaping.

Then he asks her about her training score and I lose my focus again. Her eleven in training was more than I ever hoped for. Between that and our alliance with Thresh and Rue maybe we will be okay without my declaration. I stop briefly and realize how wrong I am. We need sponsors and while her eleven will definitely help, this is my one shot to seal the deal.

Next he asks her about Prim. She seems so sincere talking about why she volunteered for Prim and what they said to one another after the reaping. My heart breaks when I think about how guilty Prim will feel if Katniss doesn't come home. I'm thinking about that when the buzzer sounds and Katniss is headed back to her seat. Katniss made a promise to Prim that she would try to come home. I have to see to it that she does. I don't look her in the eyes as I walk to the center of the stage. I'm trying hard not to let my fear show and I'm afraid my look is hostile because of the effort.

I approach the microphone as Caesar is introducing me. The first question he asks is meant to comfort me I think. I barely hear it and find myself making a comment in response. The audience gives a small laugh. My nerves are keeping me from smiling at all so my joke comes across a bit more serious than I intended.

The next question is the one I'm waiting for. Caesar must sense my preoccupation.

"Gale, I have to ask the question that everyone in the Capitol has been trying to figure out since the day of the reaping. Why did you volunteer? Who is Peeta Mellark to you?"

I stand there letting the question sink in. I knew it was coming but I can't think straight. What was it Haymitch told me to say first? Haymitch. I look across and meet his eyes. He looks frustrated and he's nodding at me to say it.

"I.." I begin but the word sounds choked. "I volunteered to save someone whose life is more important. Someone who deserves the chance to have a future," I say vaguely. I'm supposed to be saying that this is Katniss but I can't get the words out. I also realize that my attitude makes it sound like I'm questioning the Games. I'm sure that's not what Haymitch intended but I'll take it I suppose.

"So you and Peeta are close then? How is his life any more important than yours?" Caesar asks, seeming genuinely interested.

"It's not that his life is more important," I answer vaguely again. Damn it! I can't get the words out and my three minutes is ticking away quickly. I know my time is almost up. I take a deep breath while looking away from Caesar and toward the floor.

"I'm not close to Peeta, not at all," I say honestly. I look back up to Haymitch who looks like he's ready to kill me himself for blowing all that training from yesterday. I hear the silence from the audience as they try to comprehend what I said. I hear people whispering wondering what I mean by that.

"I mean, he's not the reason I'm here. Not at all. I… I came to protect Katniss," I finally say. The crowd starts murmuring as Caesar asks the obvious follow up question.

"Why would you want to protect her?" I think for a few moments on how I can make things right. She will already be furious with me for saying this much but I need her to know the truth. All of it.

"She is my best friend. After our fathers were both killed we sort of started to lean on each other for support. We were the oldest children in our families and we had to step up and help with caring for our younger siblings. She's the bravest person I know and she is so angry with me for volunteering to be here..." I trail off at the end. I can't do it. I can't stand on this stage and tell this crowd full of people I hate how much I love the girl sitting behind me.

"Why did you volunteer?" Caesar prompts again. I sigh and don't intend to respond. I've done more than enough damage. I will have to answer for this to Haymitch but I can't do it. It's at that moment that I look up at the screen and see that while the camera is trained on me, I can see the other tributes behind me. I see Katniss, the look of shock on her face. She's not angry not yet but if I want to protect her, this is my best chance. I take another deep breath.

"Because I couldn't have her torn from my life before I told her how I felt. I love her. She is the most important thing in my world," I say softly. The words sound as defeated as I feel. You could hear a pin drop in the City Circle before the cheers erupt. My declaration of love has had the desired effect on the people of the Capitol. They buy into all this sappy romance stuff because they aren't thinking about the consequences of my actions. They aren't thinking that we will never get to be happy now. That one of us is going to die in the Arena and that I intend for it to be me.

As the buzzer sounds I nod to Caesar and head back to my seat. I won't even look at Katniss because I don't want to see the look in her eyes. I know she's furious and I can only hope she will give me a chance to explain. As the anthem begins we all rise and raise our heads out of respect. I see the screen but quickly look away because they are showing a close up of Katniss and I separated by only a few feet of space. I can't look at that face. Not now.

When the anthem ends we file off the stage and there are so many people that I lose Katniss in the crowd. It's not until I get close to the elevators that I see her in a full elevator as the doors close. I immediately scan the crowd around me to try and figure out whom all was with her. I just hope Cato didn't take advantage of our separation but then I see him on the ground floor with me and I breathe a sigh of relief. At least she's not with him. I enter an elevator with several other tributes and the doors close. No one speaks as it stops at two other floors before I am left alone. I hang my head let my shoulders slump. Was I right to listen to Haymitch?

The elevator doors open and I'm not sure what to do. I step off the elevator assuming she is in her room and I decide to wait for Haymitch and the rest of the crew to arrive before I try to talk to her.

"What were you thinking?" She screams as I step off. She flings her self at me trying to shove me over but once I hear the sound of her voice I brace myself for the impact. She slams into me with her hands over and over. She's furious but I was prepared for that. She's screaming horrid things at me, things I've never heard come from her mouth. I lock my jaw and refuse to speak just letting her get it out of her system. She's hitting my chest with her fists in anger when the elevator doors open and Haymitch runs over to restrain her.

"I'll never forgive you for this!" She screams at me while Haymitch shoves her against the wall and Cinna walks over to her.

"You have to calm down, sweetheart," Haymitch yells at her as she tries repeatedly to get around him to come after me again. Portia walks to me and asks quietly if I'm okay. I nod but don't look away from Katniss. Her face has more than just the anger I expected. There's a look of betrayal. She feels that I have betrayed her and I didn't expect her to feel that way. That hurts worse than any words she could say. I try to keep my face composed as Haymitch and Cinna calm her. They explain what I did was to help her but I can't speak. I can't find my voice in my body anywhere.

"He made it sound like I couldn't take care myself! I don't need his protection!" I hear her scream in response to something Haymitch said.

"He said those things to get the sponsors! Now the crowd is still down there talking about the two of you. It worked like a charm. Now instead of being the silly girl twirling around in a sparkly dress, you are one of the star-crossed lovers from District Twelve!" Haymitch is yelling back at her. I suddenly want to scream horrible things at Haymitch too. Why did I listen to him? I know I shouldn't be this upset. This was exactly how I knew she would react.

"But we're not star-crossed lovers!" She spits viciously, glaring at me now and not at Haymitch. I feel my heart breaking. It hurts more than I ever would have imagined hearing her say that. I keep my face composed but only barely.

"So? All that matters is what the public thinks and with his declaration you went from just some girl to a heartbreaker…" Haymitch continues with his speech but my brain stops on the word heartbreaker. It's true. She's just crushed me and she has no idea. I did this for her. I came here for her. Everything I do is for her and she has the gall to look at me and feel betrayed.

"He's right, Katniss," Cinna tells her putting his arm around her. They are all discussing her reaction. Her anger has subsided somewhat and I realize I need to get away from here. I need a few minutes alone to deal with what has happened.

I turn and walk down the hall toward my room. I can't cope with the fallout of my actions in front of a crowd. I hear Portia calling to me but I just keep walking until I'm at my door. I slam it shut and lock it behind me. I stand there and lean my back against the door. I close my eyes and all I can see is the hurt and betrayal and fury in her eyes as she shoved me again and again. No matter what happens from here on out I will never forget the look on her face, I feel certain of that. I turn and slam my fist into the wall next to my door. I pull my hand out of the crumbling drywall and feel a stinging burn. It's still not as painful as the shattering in my chest.

I step across the room and to the window. I hate this place, the Capitol. I have always hated the Capitol but now it has become even worse. I think about all the things that they have taken from me: my father, my family, my love and now my life. I have to figure out a way to show the rest of Panem that it doesn't have to be this way anymore. There has to be something.

I hear a knock on the door and Effie is telling me it's time for dinner. I briefly consider staying in my room but decide that I have to face this sometime and it might as well be while there is a buffer there. Effie and Haymitch will leave tonight and we won't see them again. They will head to the Games Headquarters for the duration. Our stylists will be with us in the morning until we enter the arena.

I toss the jacket from my suit on the bed as I go to the bathroom and wash my face. I flex my fingers a few times and feel a sharp pain run down my fingers. I look at myself in the mirror and can't believe what has happened. I have turned my reason for coming here against me the night before the Games. What a brilliant strategy. I should have known better than to listen to Haymitch. I have to remind myself that just because she doesn't return my feelings doesn't mean I did the wrong thing.

The Capitol audience is still talking about us. About her. Isn't that the result Haymitch and I were going for anyway. The thing that hurts the most was that I was so close. I was so close to having everything I wanted back home. I know she always said she didn't want to get married. I know she didn't want to have kids. I know that I would have stayed with her everyday anyway. We would have been happy. I take a deep breath and try to ignore the painful throbbing of my chest that comes with every beat of my heart.

When I enter the dining room they have started the soup without me. I sit at the table for a few minutes just picking at my food refusing to look in Katniss' direction. Then Portia sees the swelling in my hand. I look down and see that several of my knuckles have turned an odd shade of purple. I tell her it's nothing but she won't listen.

She takes me to the elevators and down to the gymnasium. We walk across the empty room to another set of elevators. We take an elevator down below ground level and there is a sterile white corridor. She takes me down and I'm seen by a doctor who takes some pictures of my hand and shows them to me. It's pictures of the bones and there are no broken ones. He still wraps up my hand. Wonderful.

When we return the meal is almost over. I tell them I'm not hungry anyway and start to head for my room. I hear Effie call that we have to watch the replay of the interviews in a few minutes so not to go far. I sigh and lean against the wall in the hallway. I've really screwed things up tonight and I just want to go to bed but I know they will make me watch this so it's better not to fight it.

I walk to the sitting room while they finish the meal and I take a seat on the sofa. I wonder briefly the effect my hand will have on how long I will last in the arena. I have to last long enough to keep her safe. I have to take out the Careers at least. As I'm deciding all this I hear the others heading my way. I feel someone sit on the couch beside me and figure it will be Portia. I glance to my left and see Katniss, still in her beautiful dress, looking at me. I don't understand her expression but I keep my face blank. I look back toward the television when everyone else enters the room.

I barely pay attention to the replay until we get to District Twelve. I watch Katniss walk to center stage and see the smile on my face in the background. I feel Katniss shift her weight beside me. She's uncomfortable watching this; so am I. She looks so beyond beautiful that I begin to think that I might actually be relieved when my life is over. Death has to be better than this pain.

I see myself looking a bit hostile just like I thought I did. It's hard to relieve this. I can remember every shift in my determination. I see myself keep fighting the words that I don't want to say. I see the camera shift to Katniss after I say it. She looks confused and embarrassed as she hides her face from the cameras. I see her blush but I can see in her eyes how furious she really is. As the anthem begins and we stand I see the camera focus on the two of us. The announcers are talking about how sad it is. The star-crossed lovers from District Twelve.

I scoff and stand at that point. There is a part of me that is so ready for this all to be over already. Effie pulls me in for a quick hug. She says her goodbyes and heads out. Right behind her is Cinna and Portia, although we will see them in the morning. Then we are left alone with Haymitch. He crosses his arms and stares at us for a moment.

"Any more great advice?" I ask and the sarcasm in my voice makes him narrow his eyes at me. He ignores the implication and gives us his final words.

"Well, seeing as how you're injured now, tough guy, you need to think about what that means for your strategy at the Cornucopia. Being wounded may not make you more of a target but it will make giving her a chance to get away harder. Use your brain," He says still staring in my eyes. I hold his gaze but I don't respond to his words.

"And you, sweetheart, remember that he gave you a chance you couldn't give yourself. He's got a plan at the Cornucopia and you need to run. Just get away and find a source of water or you won't last long," he says to Katniss. I see her nod out of the corner of my eye.

"And after that?" Katniss asks.

"Stay alive," says Haymitch. It's what he said on the train on the way here but it doesn't infuriate me like it did that morning. I wonder if Haymitch thinks we have a chance to keep her safe after all. "One more thing," he says, turning to Katniss. "Use what he gave you today. If you want help from the sponsors, play on the star-crossed lovers thing." She nods.

I leave the sitting room without a word. Star-crossed lovers. What a joke! We are about as far from that as possible. We aren't lovers by any stretch of the word. The love is completely unrequited. I shake my head as I enter my room. I walk across the room and sit on the bed facing away from the door.

I'm staring out the window when I hear the door open just a few minutes later. I see her reflection and wonder why she has come. I don't turn and she stands there momentarily before walking to sit on the bed beside me. I still don't look at her.

"Listen," she begins.

"Don't bother," I say, sounder sharper than I mean to. The pain doubles as I think that she feels sorry for me. "There's nothing more to say."

"Gale, you're not being fair," she's pouting now. I almost laugh because I want to scream so many horrible things at her.

"Fair, right," I say sarcastically. "Say whatever it is you feel the need to say then, Katniss."

"I haven't had time to think about how I might have ever felt about you. When they drew Prim's name I was scared. When you volunteered I was terrified. What am I supposed to do? I don't know how to make this right? Can this ever be right again?" Her words are running together at the end. I've hurt her so badly but she has hurt me as well.

We sit in silence for several minutes before I stand. I don't know what I planned to do but I walk toward the window because she's just so close to me. I can't think with her dressed like that sitting so close. I take a few deep breaths and turn around to look her in the face for the first time. I cross my arms in front of my chest and while I know I look defensive, it's the only hope I have to keep it together so I can say what I need to say.

"Tomorrow morning, when the gong sounds, get out of there fast. Don't worry about supplies; I will take care of that. Get away as fast as you can and I'll be behind you as soon as possible," I say and the words sound as vacant as I feel. She rises from the bed and walks toward the door. She stops with her hand on the knob and her head falls as she stares at her hand.

"Gale, I don't want you to protect me. I don't need you to," she says, sounding obstinate as she opens the door to leave the room.

"Too bad," I say adamantly. "It doesn't matter what you say or do to me; you are still the reason I came."

She turns to me and her deep grey eyes are shimmering with tears. "I don't want you to die for me," she says softly and she swiftly leaves the room.

I stand there frozen for several minutes trying to make her words register. Then I walk slowly to the bathroom. I take a shower and change clothes before climbing into bed. I toss and turn for a few hours before I realize I can't leave things this way, not before we head into the arena. If we are going to win sponsors we have to work together and play this angle. I have to swallow my feelings and let her know its okay.

I step quietly into the hall, afraid she may already be asleep. I know I should be. We will be in the arena in a matter of hours and who knows if or when I'll be able to sleep again. I walk silently to her door and pause outside of it. I lean forward to listen for the sound of her breathing but instead hear her crying. I close my eyes and take a deep breath before I enter.

She has dragged a chair from the sitting area over in front of the window and she's sitting with her knees drawn up and her arms wrapped around her legs. I have never seen her look so vulnerable. I can see her eyes shimmering wetly as they meet mine in the reflection of the window. She drops her head on her knees and sniffles softly as her shoulders shake with silent sobs.

I step forward slowly, unsure of where to begin. There has been so much said between us and I'm afraid that my being here now may make it worse. It feels so different being here with her now. I would give anything for the comfortable cover of the woods outside District Twelve right now. I miss who we used to be. I sigh as I realize that it will never be.

"You were right; I wasn't being fair," I say quietly.

"I'm sorry," she says between sobs, her face still hidden from me. "I'm so sorry for everything I said to you. When you asked me if I trusted you, I knew you had a plan. I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for. I knew how you would respond and you did just that. I knew how you felt about me before I said it tonight and I should be the one apologizing. I responded badly to you but I'm over it. We have to be ready for tomorrow and we have to be a team. If we are going to do this we have to be us again. Just like always," I say sincerely. "We need to put this behind us and focus on the Games. We need to play up this star-crossed lovers bit like Haymitch said and I don't want you to feel guilty. I said what I did tonight at the interview because I wanted you to get the sponsors attention. You can't let my feelings stand in the way. Everything we say in the arena is just part of the Games. I promise you, I know the difference."

As I am talking she raises her head and meets my eyes in the glass. She's quiet as I finish but stands slowly and turns to face me. She walks forward and I wonder briefly if she's walking out but she stops in front of me and buries her still wet eyes into my chest. I reach up with my uninjured left hand to hold the back of her head against me. She sobs into my chest for several minutes before she calms enough to speak.

"I can't say it," she says so softly I have to strain to hear. "I won't be able to say it."

"You don't have to," I respond, swallowing my pride in the form of a lump in my throat. "I don't expect you to."

"I want you to understand," she begins, stepping away but taking my left hand in both of hers. "Just listen. I care about you so much, Gale. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm so confused because I've never stopped to think about how I feel about you outside of our normal routine. Now just the thought of the fact that we are about to start the Games in just a few hours makes me terrified. It hurts to think that one of us won't be going home. No matter what happens, one of us will be dead and the other left here all alone. What freaks me out so much more than that is… I can't decide which one I'd rather be." She pauses to take a deep breath before she continues, "I'll never be able to say the words to you, no matter what. Not even pretending in the Arena. It's not in me to say them. I just want you to be aware. You mean so much to me that I don't know if I can face life back home without you…" She trails off at the end.

I stare silently in her eyes through her speech and pull her back into my arms as she begins sobbing again. She wraps her arms around my waist and clings to me as she falls to pieces in a way I've never seen her do before. I lean my cheek on top of her head after a while and tell her she needs to get some sleep. She just shakes her head and tightens her arms around me.

My heart is bursting and my head is spinning with the emotions I'm feeling right now. She may not love me but she feels strongly enough to be afraid to live without me. Of course, I know she will be fine without me. She will be home and while I know she will be sad without me, I also know she will have Prim and her mother. She will eventually move on. She will be alive to heal from this and that's my reason for being here. She is the reason I was put on this planet. She is my everything. There would be no way for me to heal without her. I want to tell her all this but instead I just hold her.

I don't know how long we were there before I finally calmed her down enough to try and sleep. I walk her to the bed and sit on the edge until she is almost asleep before I can't help myself. Her beautiful face is still damp with tears, glowing in the light from the moon shining in the window. Her eyes are closed and the words come before I can stop them.

"I love you, Catnip," I say quietly. She smiles slightly in response.

I sat there and watched drift to sleep before finally heading to my bed. I lie down and doze in and out until just before dawn when Portia comes to wake me. She hands me a simple outfit to wear to get to the Arena. All my final preparations will take place in the catacombs.

I follow her to the roof, expecting to see Katniss and Cinna but we are alone. Suddenly, a hovercraft appears and I'm stunned momentarily by the memory of the day with Katniss. I watch in shock as a ladder descends. I grab the bottom rung and some kind of electronic force field hold me in place, unable to move. When I reach the opening in the bottom of a hovercraft I see a man walking toward me.

"Gale, this is your tracker. It will be a lot less painful if you don't move so I can properly inject it," he says. I couldn't move if I wanted to. The electronic field has done something to lock my muscles. I do feel the needle jab me in the arm as he injects the tracker into my forearm. Now the Capitol can keep track of me. Good to know. After that, Portia is brought on board and we are on our way. I sit nervously waiting to see Katniss again. I now realize the next time I see her will be in the Arena.

Portia tries to get me to eat something and I give in quickly. After missing dinner last night I eat more than I should. I drink plenty of water but spend a lot of the time staring out the window watching the tops of trees fly by. I flex the fingers of my injured hand. They seem a little stiff this morning but it's not nearly as bad as last night. I should be fine. Suddenly, the windows black out and I realize we are approaching the Arena.

After we land, the ladder takes us straight into a tube in the ground. We follow directions into a Launch Room. Once inside, Portia instructs me to shower and I do so somewhat mechanically. We sit in silence apart from her instructions to drink more water and we wait for the clothes to arrive. All the tributes wear the same outfit. Once it arrives she helps me into it and has me move around to make sure everything is comfortable.

The clothes are really not so bad. Light pants with a green shirt and a black hooded jacket that is fairly long. Add the decent looking belt and sturdy hiking boots and I'm almost comfortable.

"The material in the jacket will reflect body heat," Portia says quietly. "It will probably get cold at night."

I nod, unable to form coherent words and Portia tries to get me to eat some more. I refuse, thinking I won't be able to keep anything down anyway feeling the way I do. I keep wondering how far Katniss will be from me in the circle. I hope she's close enough for me to get to her quickly. I pace the floor trying to figure out what I'm going to do now. I'm feeling a sense of absolute terror I have never experienced before as I realize this could be the last few minutes of my life.

A female voice comes through a speaker and tells me to prepare for launch. Portia walks me to a small round metal plate and she hugs me.

"Best of luck, Gale. I hope you get what you really want in the end," she says as she releases me. I hear the words she won't say. She knows as well as I do that I'm not coming back. I nod and thank her as a glass tube encircles me. I feel the metal plate under my feet begin pushing me through the glass tube. I am in complete darkness for about fifteen seconds and then I feel the air coming from above me. Suddenly, I'm blinded by the bright sunlight and feeling the wind whip around me, blowing the scent of pine trees which makes me relax just a bit.

Before I have time to register more than that I hear the voice of Claudius Templesmith coming from every direction.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games begin!"

**A/N:** **So there it is... all the way up to the Arena already! I combined two chapters to get you to this point so this one is actually longer than any of my others in this story!! Nearly 7,000 words. I did this as a peace offering to hold you over for a while. This semster is proving to be very busy for me and it may be a month or so between updates for a while. I will update when I can, I promise. This story is going on into the Arena but I also need to write a few more chapters before I post. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review and let me know if it works. I can't even begin to tell you what it means to me that you all are even reading this, let alone reviewing!! I'm up to 79 reviews and that, to me, is unbelievable!! Let me know what you think!!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Suzanne Collins owns The Hunger Games, not me...**

**A/N: This chapter goes out to Spoofty, who kept me on track :) -- Sorry for pulling this and reposting the same night. I found an error I needed to fix quickly. Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!!**

Chapter 11

I have only sixty seconds to take in everything so I have to work fast. I immediately scan the circle of tributes for Katniss and spot her about five people to my left. Just far enough that I can't see her well but I see her braid as she looks off to her left. I follow her eyes and spot the woods. Perfect. She knows where to head.

I look around myself quickly and notice we are on a flat plain. I see a drop off to the area around my right side and behind me is a lake. Directly in front of me is the Cornucopia. I see all the supplies strewn about and see the horn itself is piled high with weapons and even some tent packs. The lesser items are the ones closer to us. I see a large black backpack about twenty yards in front of me that I think I might grab first thing before heading in for some weapons.

I scan the circle again looking for Cato. I spot him on my right almost directly across the circle from Katniss. I'll bet he's fuming about that. I search for Rue and find her about three tributes to my right. Directly between Cato and me. I can't see Thresh so I assume he's on the other side of the Cornucopia from me. I need to watch Rue and make sure she gets out to but my top priority has to be Katniss.

I look back toward Katniss and her focus has shifted toward the Cornucopia. She is staring at something and I know we only have a few seconds before the gong sounds. I look at the Cornucopia and I see it. There is a silver bow and sheath of arrows sitting directly in her line of sight. That has to be intentional by the Gamemakers. They want her to run into the bloodbath. She can't go in for them. The Careers will kill her for sure. I stare at her, just willing her to look in my direction. I repeatedly think, _Don't do it! Don't do it! Don't do it!_

She glances in my direction and catches me staring at her. I widen my eyes and look over her shoulder towards the woods. She shifts her eyes to the left, toward the Cornucopia and back to me, telling me her intentions with the movement. I shake my head and the gong rings out. I move immediately. I run forward and throw the backpack in place on my shoulders before running full out toward the Cornucopia. My thinking is I have to get to the bow. Katniss does need that. I note that Rue is heading around the circle toward the woods but she is wearing a small backpack. At least she is getting away. I see Katniss running toward the Cornucopia and glare. She never listens to me!

I reach a small grouping of weapons then and grab for a knife at the same time as someone else. I don't pause to look at the face as I grapple for the weapon and use my shoulder to knock the person away. I see the boy from District 1 stumble backwards from the force of my hit. I take off running toward the horn again and I spot Cato moving toward my side where I last saw Katniss. I turn again to look for her and see the girl from District 2 preparing to throw a knife at someone with an orange backpack and see the long braid. I change direction and throw my knife at the girl but miss. I run toward her but she has already thrown her knife when I hit her from the side, knocking her to the ground. I glance up in time to see the knife she threw lodged in the backpack but then Katniss turns to look at me. I see blood on her face but I don't have time to worry what that means before I feel the knife of the girl from District 2 digging into my left arm, near the shoulder, as she tries to fight me off. I cry out in pain and frustration.

"RUN!" I yell, glancing back up at Katniss but she hesitates. I'm getting to my feet to follow when someone hits me from the right side, knocking me to the ground again. The boy from District 4 is on top of me holding a knife about to stab me when he suddenly drops the weapon and falls to the left. I see a spear sticking out of his back and Thresh standing behind him and nod. I jump to my feet and grab the knife he was using before I turn back to Katniss who I just spot disappearing into the woods. She doesn't seem to have anyone else tailing her and I refocus on the task of retrieving the bow.

I see Thresh throw a backpack over his shoulder as I turn toward the golden horn once again. I feel pain run up my right arm and turn to stab whoever is next to me. As my knife connects with the person, my eyes focus as I see I stabbed them in the back as they turned to run. It's a girl, smaller than Katniss, who has sliced me down my right arm. She must not have realized I was armed as well, or she just didn't care. She keeps moving away from me, still on her feet and I leave her be.

I run again in the direction of the bow and I reach for it at the same time as another tribute. I see the girl from District 1 with both hands wrapping around the upper limb of the bow. I consider tackling her to get the weapon but worry about damage to the bow itself. I quickly assess how to attack her with my knife before she can pull an arrow from the sheath. As I lean forward to make my move, I note the boy running toward me. I turn but not fast enough. The boy from District 1 slams into me, knocking me into the Cornucopia with enough force to knock the air from my lungs. I cough as I try to drive my knife into his neck. He reacts and raises a hand to block me and I end up cutting him down his left forearm. He staggers backward in shock and I immediately turn back toward the bow. I see the girl has it now and is moving away and I run and tackle her to the ground. I pull the bow from her hands with some force and struggle more with the sheath of arrows. I raise my knife and move to cut the sheath of arrows off her but she moves and I'm able to free the sheath without cutting it.

I pull the bow and sheath over my shoulder carefully because this range will not be good for that weapon. I turn and find Cato engaged with two tributes. I think it's the boys from seven and eight. He swings his sword very powerfully and one of the boys falls to his knees and then his face. Blood pouring from a wound across his chest. I figure it's time to clear out. I scan for Thresh who I see nearby engaged with the boy from one and the other two Career girls. I run in that direction and fling my knife, which catches the shoulder of one of the girls. She pulls it out and they run toward me. I grab my knife as she comes at me with it and feel the pop of her wrist as she releases, screaming. I hear Cato's voice from behind me and decide to run.

I glance and Thresh and he's looking toward me. He nods and I run toward the woods but not close to where I saw Katniss enter. I'm afraid she stopped to wait for me or watch me and I don't want to lead anyone to us right off the bat. I hear the sound of a knife coming from my right and I duck as I run and it misses. I glance that way and see the girl from District 2 preparing to throw another. I keep running toward the woods, hoping to put some distance between us so I can ready the bow. I pull it off my shoulder and turn but she seems to be moving away. I see then that Thresh has followed and we clear the tree line. I almost can't believe it was that easy. I glance back toward the horn and see Cato and several of the other Careers talking and looking in our direction. I turn to Thresh.

"We should keep moving," I say quickly. He just nods. I want to ready the bow so I can use it but I quickly realize that with the injury to my shoulder from the knife wound I may not be able to use it effectively. I still pull the bow off and pull an arrow from the sheath. I quickly put the notch in place while we are moving away and keep an ear out for other footsteps. I follow Thresh deeper into the woods but there is no sign that we are being pursued. After about another hour, I hear the sound of the cannon. I pause, as does Thresh, and we listen. I count the shots, knowing this means the bloodbath is finally over at the horn. I glance at Thresh. I feel my hatred for the Capitol grow with every shot. These are children... we are all just children.

"Twelve," he says when the cannon stops and he starts to walk again.

"Half of us in one day," I whisper angrily, following him, my heart pounding my chest. That is an incredibly high number. I have to keep telling myself that Katniss got away.

We head into the woods a little further before deciding to head in the direction the girls headed. I keep telling myself that I did make it out with the knife that is in my belt and the bow. Plus, I have my backpack. That says something, I suppose. The bow itself is going to change everything once we find Katniss. She'll be unstoppable with this weapon. I want to check what supplies I have in the backpack but instead decide to keep putting distance between the Careers and us. They will hunt through the night tonight as they do every year and I want to make sure we are far away.

I keep a close eye out for any sign of Katniss but come up with nothing for hours. I start to feel a little dizzy and figure that it's probably dehydration along with the blood loss. I shake my head a bit, trying to clear it, and keep moving.

"You okay?" Thresh asks.

"I'm good," I answer.

"I think we should take a break for a minute," he says.

"No, we need to find the girls," I say.

"We need to stop that bleeding before you pass out," he answers. He's eyeing the blood that is staining the ground from my left shoulder. It's been running down my arm and off my fingers and the bow for a several hours now and I didn't realize how much was still coming.

"Nice, I'm leaving them a trail right to us," I say, irritated.

"Let's see what we've got to work with," Thresh suggests pulling the backpack from his back and kneeling. I carefully put the bow down and remove my backpack as well, being gentle with the straps. I kneel, open mine, and find a first aid kit right on top.

"Looks like I had the right pack," I say sarcastically. I keep pulling things out trying to see what all I have. There is a sleeping bag, several small baggies of dried fruit, another knife, a bowl, a small bottle of iodine, and a water bottle, which is empty. I place everything back into the bag except the knife and the first aid kit.

I notice that Thresh has a sleeping bag, some dried beef, a flashlight, some wire, an empty bottle for water, the same size bottle of iodine and a small box of matches.

I remove my jacket and shirt before I lean back against a tree trunk and really look at the wound. It's deep and wide. I wonder if she twisted the blade while it was inside my shoulder. I remove my undershirt and hold it to the wound for several minutes, wincing. The pressure is painful but I need to do this if I want it to stop bleeding. Several minutes later it's still bleeding but has slowed somewhat. I bandage it quickly and turn to the other arm. The wound is superficial. No bad damage and it has already stopped bleeding. I cover it lightly and replace my shirt and jacket. I realize how much blood is already on my clothes as I shove the bloody undershirt into my backpack with the first aid kit. I put both knives in my belt.

"We need to find some water," I say to Thresh as I pull my backpack and the sheath onto my back carefully.

"Are you sure you're good to keep going?" He asks.

"I have to be," I respond. "I've left them a trail this far if they look hard enough so we need to keep moving." Thresh nods and we are off again.

We walk for a few more hours before evening starts to fall. I begin to worry about Katniss. I haven't seen or heard anything in several hours and I wonder if she's okay. Of course she's okay. I'm sure we will come across her soon. I suddenly remember the blood on her face. I hope that she's okay. It didn't seem like a lot at any rate. I feel my heart pounding and I'm sure it has a lot more to do with my nerves than about exertion.

"What's the plan?" I ask Thresh.

"What do you mean?" He asks back.

"Well, the Careers will hunt through the night tonight, like they do every year. Do we take a break now and keep moving or try and make camp?" I ask, not sure which sounds better at this point. My head is pounding from blood loss and dehydration.

"We'll need to take a break at least. I don't like the way you look. I think you need to stop walking for the night. You've lost a lot of blood and I don't really know how you are managing to stay on your feet," he says.

"If you want to sleep first, I'll keep watch for a while," I say. Thresh eyes me for a moment but shrugs. We walk a little further and find a patch of bushes with a berry that Thresh is familiar with so we pick some. We find a spot between a group of trees that will partially conceal us and start to get comfortable. After watching him eat the berries for a bit, I eat a few myself. We are settling in when I hear the anthem begin. I look up and see the seal of the Capitol in the sky. This will be our nightly report to tell us which tributes are dead. I feel the sweat beading up on my hands and face. I squeeze my eyes shut momentarily and hope with everything inside me that Katniss is okay.

They show us a picture of the dead tribute with their District number below it. I keep count on my fingers. The first to appear is the girl from District 3. This means the Careers from 1 and 2 all made it. Of course, I knew as much. Next they show the boy from 4, the one Thresh killed as he was about to kill me. I am a bit shocked when I see the girl from District 4 next. That's two Careers down already. After that the boy from 5. Both tributes from 6, 7, the boy from 8 and both from 9. Only one more to go. _Please don't let it be Katniss. _It's the girl from District 10, I realize that she is the one I stabbed at the Cornucopia. Did I kill her? I feel bad momentarily until I remember the wound she left down my arm. My anger at her for the superficial wound is, of course, completely misplaced. My anger is actually at the Capitol. The seal is back and the anthem ends. The sky goes black. At least I know Katniss is alive. She knows I made it through today as well. I hope we aren't far from her.

I want to set a few snares to try to catch some food and Thresh ended up with some wire in his backpack so he hands it to me with his flashlight and I walk for several minutes away from our camp before setting up a few simple snares. I don't have it in me to get much more complex tonight. It's dark, I'm exhausted, and my right hand is still sore. My left hand seems to be giving me a few problems but I think I just need some rest. When I get back to camp Thresh has his sleeping bag out and is getting ready to try to rest. I sit toward the edge of our little clearing with my back against a tree. Not long after I return, I hear Thresh's breathing get deeper and even.

I look out through the woods and think for several hours about Katniss. I wonder where she is. Did she find Rue? I hope she has a sleeping bag or something warm in her pack. She had one of the bigger packs like Thresh and I have so I think she might. Rue just had a tiny pack; I hope they are together. I don't want to think about her being alone out there. I think back to my reaction to the death recap tonight. The girl from District 10 was so small and just a child, as we all are, and instead of feeling sad about killing her, I feel an undeniable rage. The Capitol made me a murder. That child died by my hand. I sigh and feel my jaw tighten in frustration. I need to think about something else.

I think, again, about Katniss. I hope she has water. I know how uncomfortable I am right now without water. As I think about my thirst, I grab another handful of the berries. At least they help to an extent with the thirst.

After about four hours, I wake Thresh. We switch and I fall asleep almost immediately, thinking how weird it is to be sleeping with someone guarding me. I just have to trust that since I didn't kill him in his sleep, he'll leave me be. I really like Thresh, though. He seems like a very honest person. He was worried enough to make me stop and check out my arm. I fade out into sleep.

When Thresh wakes me, I hear footsteps. It's still dark out so I can't have been asleep very long. I stay lying down, perfectly still because they seem to be only a few hundred yards away. As far as I can tell, there is only one pair, which means it can't be the Careers but I still don't want to draw attention to us. My left arm has a blinding pain running down it from my shoulder and I want desperately to move it but I wait until several minutes after the footsteps have faded into silence before I do.

I sit up slowly and almost immediately fall back again. I'm still very dizzy and off balance. I try again to sit and this time I do a little better. Thresh is watching me closely as if not sure whether to help or not.

"You don't look so good. Maybe you should lie back down for a while," he says honestly.

"I'm good. I just need to build up some ener-" I begin but I'm cut off by the sound of the cannon. My eyes widen and I sit waiting for more shots. Just one. I wonder to myself who it might have been and almost choke at the thought that I'm not with Katniss to make sure she's safe. I have to find her today.

The sun is beginning to rise so I decided to go check my snares. It takes several minutes of painful stretching before my left arm is usable and still it's only partial. My fingers are still uncooperative as I try to release the two rabbits I caught in the snares. I clean them slowly, being careful not to cut myself. I know we can't eat the rabbit meat raw so I suggest we build a fire.

"Here?" Thresh asks. I can tell my suggestion caught him off guard.

"If we pack everything up then build a small fire and cook the meat we can be gone again quickly. We won't be able to cook the food if we are running from someone later," I respond. Thresh nods and we begin repacking our gear.

Thresh and I work together to get a fire going and I cook the meat while he keeps watch. When I finish, we put dirt on the fire and I pack up one rabbit for Thresh and one for myself. We put them in our packs and move on, grabbing a handful of berries apiece to eat on our way.

It's well after noon before I finally have to stop. We've been walking for hours with still no sign of water and I don't want to admit it but I'm getting a little worried. I need to sit before I fall. Thresh doesn't look so great either but he hasn't lost the amount of blood I have so I imagine I look worse. We sit and make a quick meal eating part of our rabbits and some more berries.

"We need to keep moving," I say after we finish eating. His eyes widen.

"Are you kidding? We need to relax. The Careers will have had to go back to their camp by now so we should get some sleep," he says.

"No, we need to find water Thresh. I'm not going to make it much longer if we don't. I have to keep going," I say. It's partially true at least. We do need to find water but I'm more concerned we haven't found Katniss and Rue. I'm worried about that cannon this morning.

"You're crazy. You'll never make it if you keep overdoing things this way," he says back almost harshly. "Have you even checked your bandages today?"

In honesty, I haven't. I'm almost afraid of what I will find under the bandage at my shoulder. "I'll check them in a bit. I'm going to keep moving, at least for a while," I say back, trying to sound like I have a plan. Thresh shakes his head but rises to follow me.

I realize that we are now going downhill instead of uphill. That's good. It may be very helpful in terms of water. Its early evening when I catch the scent. Lilies! I break into a run and crash through the brush into a beautiful little pond. I have to keep my head enough not to dive in face first. Thresh looks as happy as I feel. We have found water.

We each have a water bottle so we fill them and add iodine. While we are waiting for them to purify I remove my jacket and shirt to clean the wound on my shoulder and reapply a fresh bandage. As soon as I remove my shirt, I wish I hadn't. I'm still losing blood. The bandage has turned from a sterile white to a horrible shade of red and it is running down my chest. I look to Thresh, hoping he's not seeing this, but of course, he is.

"I told you to take it easy," he says, shaking his head.

"It's not as bad as it looks," I say, trying to sound like I know what I'm talking about.

"You haven't even looked at it," he replies but leaves to go dig roots and gather some berries.

I slowly remove the bandage and I'm glad I haven't eaten yet. I can see that the wound is beginning to heal but it's still bleeding. How is that possible? I turn my face away and decide the best way to clean it is to use my undershirt as a rag. I pull it out of my backpack where it has almost dried with blood. I rinse it carefully and then use a clean part to wipe at the wound. The pain almost makes me retch. After several minutes, I'm satisfied that the wound is as clean as it can get for now. I pull out the first aid kit and quickly cover the wound again before Thresh returns.

We sip our water slowly trying to make sure we keep it down. I know I need to wash my shirt and jacket but it's getting dark and I will need to wait until morning. Thresh recommends we stay put nearby for the night and I'm in no way going to argue tonight.

We eat a meal of rabbit with some of the berries Thresh gathered. We will need to cook the roots next time we make a fire.

The anthem begins and I feel my heart beating faster. _It wasn't Katniss_, I tell myself. The picture appears and it's the girl from District 8. I take a deep breath and exchange a quick look with Thresh.

I'm so tired and weak from the blood loss that when Thresh volunteers for first watch I agree and quickly fall asleep. When he wakes me to switch, I almost can't sit up for the pain in my chest. It's stretched from my shoulder all the way across my chest and even part of the back of my shoulder. That can't be good.

I lean against a tree and it's only a few hours before dawn starts to break through the trees. I guess Thresh let me sleep longer than last night, I sit quietly, listening to the morning birds, and don't hear any other sounds. I don't wake Thresh but he wakes on his own in late morning. He recommends we spend the day resting and as much as I want to look for Katniss, something tells me not to argue. I struggle to set some snares nearby and we drink and refill our water bottles.

I take my shirt and jacket and do my best to wash them and lay them out to dry. I'm still losing use in my left hand. My fingers aren't gripping things very well. There is stiffness in my right hand from my knuckles but other than that, it is fine. At least I have one working hand. I take the bandage off that hand so I have full use of my fingers. A few hours later, I check my shirt and jacket to see if they are dry. My shirt is so I pull it on and button it. The buttons are a bit difficult but I succeed with little trouble.

We decide to eat some of the berries and dried fruit while we sit, but we save the remaining pieces of rabbit for later tonight. We don't talk much, and I'm actually thankful. Thresh seems to be the type of person that doesn't need many words, which works well for me. At some time just around midday, I replace my jacket since it is now dry as well.

Its late afternoon when we hear the noise in the trees above us. I glance up as Rue drops to the ground smoothly near the edge of the small clearing around the pond. Next to her, Katniss steps through the brush.

**A/N: So there it is!! Just for all my wonderful readers, I worked feverishly backstage during preshow this afternoon to edit this and I'm posting it for all of you now. I should be working on my mountain of homework, but this is much more fun! I have to thank all my reviewers... I'm up to 94 as of posting this which is incredible! I can't believe it!! A special thanks goes out to Spoofty. Her wonderful *pestering* makes me laugh and is a welcome reprive from my overwhelming school load. **

**I truly hope this chapter does justice to the blood bath at the Cornucopia... I had no idea how difficult the Arena would be to write. I have new respect for my fellow fan fic writers who have tackled this challenge. (Caisha, if you're reading, I finally understand!) Please let me know what you think by leaving a review. This will probably be it for at least a few weeks and I am sorry for that. If I get a break, I promise to post again :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Surprise, surprise... I still don't own Hunger Games... no copyright intended... blah, blah...**

Chapter 12

"Gale," Katniss says quietly as relief floods her face. She runs toward me and I stand just before she slams into me. The pain that flares in my shoulder is nothing in contrast with the relief I feel as my arms wrap around her small frame.

"Gale, you're alright," she whispers and I pull back enough to look her in the eyes.

"Course I am," I respond with a smile. "I told you I'd be right behind you."

"I was worried; I thought we were never going to find you," she says, leaning her head against me again. I sigh and lean my cheek on her hair. We don't speak but this moment says everything. When she looks up at me, I lean down, meaning to kiss her to play into the act, but I waiver. I press my lips softly to her forehead and see her cheek lift in a smile.

She is facing toward my right shoulder but as I look down, I notice that all you can see of the wound under my jacket is a small tear in the dark material. It doesn't look nearly as bad now that I cleaned the jacket. I am thankful for the fact that I cleaned the jacket today so I don't have to explain just yet.

"Are you okay?" I finally ask, pulling away from her reluctantly.

"We're fine, just a little dehydrated. Rue found a stream and we followed it for a while on the first day but had to abandon it because we didn't have much in the way of weapons so we didn't want to run into anyone," Katniss answers meekly. I see she is avoiding my eyes and I teeter on the edge of whether to be angry now that she ran toward the Cornucopia or blow it off. She looks at me but I glance back toward Rue and see her filling a small water skin.

"Well, I'm glad I grabbed this then," I say, deciding it's best to let it go, for now at least. I point behind me to the bow that I abandoned on the ground when I stood.

"Gale, you are amazing," Katniss says excitedly as she picks up the bow and runs her hand down the length, inspecting the weapon like the expert she is. I smile, knowing that now, she will be an unstoppable force. She leans down to grab a few arrows and moves to a more spacious area to shoot into the surrounding trees. I watch her get more comfortable with the weapon in her hands with each shot. When she is finished, she retrieves the arrows from the trees and comes to sit beside me.

Once she returns to the group, we decide to stay one more night by the water to let the girls relax and rehydrate. I decide to check my snares and find another rabbit and a squirrel. I take them back and have Katniss help me skin them. I try not to let her see the problems I'm having with my left hand. We risk a fire right at dusk to cook the meat as well as some roots. We have a nice meal and drink plenty of water.

Just after dark, we hear the anthem begin. We all look up but there were no deaths today. I wonder how long this will last before the Gamemakers force us together.

I offer to take first watch and that begins a discussion about previous sleeping arrangements. Katniss tells us that Rue doesn't have a sleeping bag; they've been sharing Katniss' and sleeping in the trees. I offer Rue my sleeping bag since I'm taking first watch and she quickly says she's fine sharing with Katniss. Everyone gets situated in a small, tight group to help with protection and warmth. Katniss scoots down into the bag after insisting that I keep the bow while I am on guard. I don't want to discuss the fact that I'm injured and wouldn't be able to use it properly so I agree to keep it while she sleeps.

After several minutes, I notice that Katniss' eyes aren't closing and instead they are flickering around the trees.

"What's wrong?" I ask in a whisper. I lean so my mouth is near her ear so I don't disturb Rue who is already sleeping contentedly.

"I'm just nervous, I guess. I feel more exposed on the ground," she responds.

"I'm here," I say softly. I let my eyes scan her face and meet hers.

"You always are," she replies. We are silent for several minutes and I watch the trees again. I'm listening for any sound and feel much more alert than I have on any other watch. I hear when Thresh's breathing evens out into a deep sleep and I let my eyes flick back to Katniss' face. She's looking up at me, still awake and I can't help but smile.

"If you're not going to sleep, then why don't you take first watch," I say softly with the smile still in place. I feel more like my normal self in Katniss' presence than I have since I entered the Arena. She smiles back but doesn't respond immediately.

"I missed you," she says moving to lay her head on my lap.

"I missed you more," I reply honestly and brush the hair from her eyes. I lean forward again and kiss her forehead. This may be as close as I can come to her. "Get some sleep."

"Wake me in a few hours and I'll take my turn," she says as she falls asleep.

I sit there with her head in my lap for several hours. I stare at her face as she sleeps and think about the night before the Games when we fought and she told me how she felt. I'm so glad I found her in here. I just want to spend my last few days with her and I'm pretty sure that I won't last much longer with my shoulder.

That thought pulls me up short. It's the first time that I have stopped to truly consider my own mortality since entering the Arena. I think about my family back home, watching everything that has happened. My heart sinks as I think about the pain my mother must be going through. It's too late to regret the decision now, and I would be hard pressed to find it in me to think I was wrong while Katniss is sleeping on my lap. How would I have survived watching her here if I was back home? Thinking about my family just boosts my resolve to hang on as long as possible. I have to keep Katniss safe because she will take care of them for me once she gets back home.

After about three hours I'm about to wake her when I hear a strange noise. I look around myself realizing that it's become oddly light out. There's a strange, orange glowing light coming from behind me. I turn and see the wall of fire coming right for us.

"Move!" I yell at them, reaching out to shake Thresh as Rue's eyes fly open. Rue slips quickly out of the sleeping bag and throws her own backpack in place as Katniss shoves her backpack and the bow and arrows into her sleeping bag and flings it over her shoulder. I turn to Thresh and he as he finishes stuffing his sleeping bag into his pack. I grab our water bottles, throw my own backpack over my right shoulder, and carefully push my injured left arm through before we are running.

We run full out for several minutes before the smoke starts to overwhelm me. I begin coughing and can't help myself; I have to stop. Katniss is beside me vomiting and I start to push her forward. I look around but I don't see Thresh or Rue. I know Thresh was in front of me just a few minutes ago but Rue disappeared early on. Katniss takes a few deep breaths once she finishes vomiting and looks at me. She nods and we take off again.

Once we reach a section of close packed trees, we duck behind them for a moment. She drops the sleeping bag and falls to her knees, retching once again. I know she has inhaled too much smoke and the fire is moving quickly toward us. I remove my backpack and jacket. I pull her to her feet.

"Rinse and drink," I say quickly, tossing a water bottle at her. She nods. I take the other bottle and douse my jacket with the remaining water in it.

"Put this over your mouth and nose," I tell her, handing her the jacket. She nods again after taking a small drink and spits. She barely gets to take a drink before I hear a hissing sound and a fireball hits the ground just inches from her foot.

"Move!" I yell shoving her forward. She grabs her sleeping bag with the weapon and her backpack inside and flings it haphazardly over her shoulder. I never got to replace my backpack so I just pull it over my right shoulder. I pull the front of my shirt up to cover my nose with my left hand. I hear another hiss and Katniss immediately drops to the ground. I keep running and grab her hand with my left to pull her up as it smashes the ground just past where she was lying. I'm coughing so hard there are tears in my eyes.

I know that it has to end sometime. Eventually, we will get out of the area of the arena that is rigged for this attack. We have to keep moving. I wonder briefly if we are headed right into a fight with the Careers but realize quickly that it doesn't matter now. We have no choice but to keep moving forward.

We jump, duck and run from the fireballs for what seems like an eternity before I hear one coming and I see her stumble over a root and fall to the forest floor. Instead of dropping to the ground as I should I jump forward and throw my body onto hers. My backpack slides off my shoulder in the process and the weight of it pulls me a bit too far to the right. The fireball grazes across my back. I feel the flames on my shirt and immediately roll off her and to my back to douse the fire. By the time Katniss turns, I am on my feet again pulling the pack carefully up my arm.

I urge her forward but I'm falling a little behind her now. The pain in my back is horrible. A fireball comes too close to her back and catches the bottom of her braid as it flies behind her. She reaches back and during that brief pause, I see it coming. I'm running but I won't make it in time.

"KATNISS!" I yell but she reacts too late and the fireball grazes her calf. Her pant leg is on fire and she's beginning to panic when I get to her. I drop to my knees beside her.

"Roll!" I tell her throwing handfuls of dirt onto her pant leg. She does but the panic isn't gone and she starts tearing away the fabric with her hands before I can stop her. Once the flames are gone, I glance at her face. She is shaking violently and I know she won't be able to go any further on her own. We have been still for too long and I realize that if the Gamemakers wanted to take us out this would be the time.

I force my hands under her body and use my right hand to grip her sleeping bag. I lift her carefully before I begin running once again. I won't be able to keep this up for long because the pain is intense. Both in my shoulder and my back. I stumble several times but manage to keep my balance. After a very short time, I realize that this won't work. My left arm can't hold the weight so I push her weight up and put her over my right shoulder while holding the sleeping bag in my left. It's too much for me to carry and I'm about to drop the sleeping bag, knowing that it will mean losing the one weapon that will make all the difference in the world.

"Let me help," I hear a voice say and I feel someone pull the sleeping bag from my left fist. I squint my eyes through the thick smoke and finally focus on Thresh's face.

"Thanks. I've got her," I answer as he tries to take Katniss from my shoulder. Once I can place my left hand on her back to stabilize her weight, I can move a little faster. It's still quite some time before I feel the smoke clearing and I stumble and nearly drop Katniss. I pause momentarily before I realize the fire has stopped. It's no longer pursuing us. The smoke is still pretty thick and I know I should keep going so I follow Thresh about another mile before I see him stop next to Rue. I stop and set Katniss down on the ground. Her head falls back, her eyes are closed. Rue and Thresh come to the other side of her.

"Katniss. Katniss, can you hear me?" I ask quietly. I'm afraid that if the fire has stopped that may mean another tribute is nearby. I wince as I lean forward. There is a ripping sensation in my back that I'm worried may have something to do with my flesh adhering to the shirt. She opens her eyes.

"You carried me?" She asks, although I'm not sure if it was meant to be a question or not. She's coughing and I remove my jacket that was over my shoulder with her and use it to wipe her face. I pull the jacket on and somehow manage to keep the grimace off my face as the heat begins to radiate back from the burn across my back.

"Course I did. I had to get you out of there," I answer and realize my voice doesn't sound much better. I grab the water bottle and realize we don't have much water left. I glance around us and see we are in an area that is different from the woods I'm used to. There are more rocks and I've completely lost track of which direction we have headed from the little pond.

I take a moment to pull all the items out of her sleeping bag Thresh was carrying and roll the sleeping bag. I place it in the pack so we can carry things easier.

"We need to keep moving," Rue says quietly, glancing around nervously. I agree completely but I'm worried about Katniss. I take a quick drink before I help her to a sitting position and hand her the bottle. She takes a small sip and coughs it back out immediately.

"I'll carry her," Thresh offers and I step back to let him closer.

"I can walk but we have to go slow," Katniss says quietly.

"I'll help you along," I say offering my right forearm for her to grab. I see the red burns on her hands as I help her from the ground. She winces as she puts weight on her leg. She agrees to let Thresh carry her pack but she insists on carrying her weapons. She pulls the sheath of arrows across her back and holds the bow in her right hand. I pull her left arm over my right shoulder to help carry her weight.

It's slow going but we get far enough away that the smoke is nearly gone before she has to stop.

"I just need to sit for a few minutes," she says as I help her to the ground.

"I'm going to go try and find some water," I say looking around us. The sun is starting to rise so I can see the layout a little better. "I won't go far," I finish when she starts to object.

"I'll come with you," Rue offers, grabbing Thresh's water bottle from him as I grab the other from Katniss.

We walk for nearly fifteen minutes before I hear the sound of running water. We follow the sound and find a shallow stream. As I kneel and lean forward, I feel the same tearing sensation on my back. I'm glad I can't see the wound. I really don't want to think about how bad it looks. I refill our bottles and add iodine as Rue does the same.

"Let me see that arm," I say to Rue when we get ready to head back.

"It's fine," she says but I pull her sleeve up carefully to look for myself.

"You should soak it for a few minutes. It'll help with the pain," I offer and Rue smiles gratefully. She grimaces as the water first rushes over the burn but then her features smooth out as the cold water pulls the heat from the wound.

"You don't look so good," Rue notes as she stands from the stream.

"I'll be fine," I say, heading back in the direction of Katniss and Thresh.

We decide to look for an easier route back in hopes we can get Katniss to the stream to clean her leg and I find a little better path through the rocks.

"You look terrible," Katniss says as I hand her one of the water bottles upon our return and Rue giggles.

"Drink slow," I remind her in answer, the pain in my back making my voice sharper than I intended. I lean down grab her free hand to check the burns. "There's a stream about fifteen minutes from here. Do you think you can make it that far or do I need to carry you?" I ask.

"I'm fine to walk," she says, sounding indignant. She's feeling weak. She and I share this downfall of not wanting help from anyone. I'm surprised she let me help her earlier but then again if her leg feels anything like my back, I understand. Thresh and Rue take the lead along the path slowly. For the first time, I notice that Thresh is limping a bit.

I reach for my pack and wince. I quickly wipe the look off my face but when I look at Katniss, she's eyeing me. I look down and see there is fresh blood on a part of my shirt that is showing through my jacket.

"When did that happen?" She asks.

"It's fine," I say standing and reaching to help her to her feet. I toss my backpack over my right shoulder and almost cry out. I have to be more careful about my back.

"That's not what I asked," she says, irritated as she gets to her feet. She stands still momentarily, trying to get her balance. The bow still clutched in her right hand. "I asked when it happened." I sigh.

"Let's go," I say avoiding the question again. I put her arm over my shoulder and she sighs. Apparently, she's focusing on the task of navigating the rocks ahead. I know I will have to answer her question eventually but I'm not really sure how. If I tell her how much blood I've lost she will only worry about me and I need her to focus on herself. Especially now that she has an injured leg.

It takes closer to a half an hour before we reach the stream but once there I help her down by the bank. Thresh and Rue decide to search a bit to see if they can find food or shelter of some kind.

Katniss immediately submerges her hands and a look of relief crosses her face. She starts laughing darkly and I look at her like she's lost her mind.

"I just caught the irony of this," she responds, waving a hand toward her injured leg.

"What?" I ask, confused.

"I'm the 'Girl on Fire,'" she laughs again. "I bet the Gamemakers enjoyed coming up with that one."

I grind my teeth together thinking that this is exactly what they did. They set this trap for her because of her actions in her private session.

She's still coughing but as I try to get more water into her, she's able to hold it down at least. I prop her against a rock where she can place one hand in the water before I decide I need to check her leg. She tries to tell me its fine but I know this is just her fear talking. I know she hates wounds, especially burns. She starts to panic and pull away when I kneel beside her leg.

"Hey, Hey," I say, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look at me. "Don't look," I say staring into her eyes. She looks at me for a long time before she nods and closes her eyes and turns her head away.

I grab one of the water bottles and fill it. I start cutting away the fabric that has singed to the flesh but she doesn't move. She takes deep breaths and I know she's not looking. I finally have her pant leg cut away just below her knee when I take in the severity of the wound. It's deep but not horrible. It's about the size of my hand and surrounded by bright red blisters. All of the sudden her breathing stops. I look up and she's staring wide eyed at the wound. I dump the water bottle on it and she closes her eyes again.

"I told you not to look," I say.

"I know," she says back. She keeps her eyes closed while I dump a few more bottles of water on her leg.

"If you want to soak it in the stream, I think it will be fine," I tell her after a few minutes.

"Okay," she scoots herself forward and places her calf into the stream. The heat radiating from my back to my jacket is so painful I want to do the same but I can't. I'm almost positive she hasn't seen the burn and I don't really want her to. She doesn't do well with injuries.

"I want to check your shoulder," she says after just a few minutes.

"Why?" I ask cautiously.

"Because it looked like it was bleeding and I want to make sure it's been cleaned," she says. My eyes widen when I look at her. She meets my eyes and I look pointedly down at her leg and back to her face. "I'll be fine and I'm not giving up so you might as well."

I sigh but sit facing her and remove my jacket. I pull my shirt away from my shoulder without removing it because I'm afraid of the wound on my back. The blood isn't running down my chest like it was earlier but the bandage looks pretty gruesome. Her eyes widen at the sight of all the blood.

"Did this happen yesterday?" She asks.

"Yeah," I say, trying to sound indifferent. As if I don't remember the exact time. I give a slight shrug. She rolls her eyes and leans forward to take the bandage off. I stop her hand.

"I can do this," I say. Not only do I hate being taken care of but I know how much she hates the sight of blood.

"Stop it, Gale, I'm not a child. Let me see how bad it is so we can figure out how to treat it," she says, almost sounding harsh.

I lean my head away and close my eyes. I feel her remove the bandage. Apparently, she wasn't prepared for the extend of the injury because I hear her sharp intake of breath. I keep my breathing even because I want her to listen. We do this when one of us gets hurt on a hunt. We breathe deeply and keep our heart rates low. She begins breathing with me and I open my eyes. We stare into each other's eyes for several minutes.

"There's a first aid kit in my pack," I say without thinking. She reaches for my pack and she pulls out my undershirt, which is covered in dried blood. She throws it at me.

"You need to stop lying to me!" She yells.

"Keep your voice down," I say back quietly.

"When did this happen?" She asks again, looking directly into my eyes. I have to tell her the truth because she will know if I'm lying. I sigh.

"At the Cornucopia," I begin and she gasps.

"It's still bleeding, Gale," she says, obviously worried.

"I know, Katniss," I say back, sarcastically. I'm irritated because I allowed myself get wounded. I haven't stopped to let myself be angry about this. She looks upset.

"What happened?" She asks, while she pokes around my backpack for the first aid kit.

"The girl from District 2 stabbed me," I tell her. No point in keeping it from her now.

"It was when you tackled her after she threw the knife at me, wasn't it?" She asks, not looking up from the pack.

"Yes," I answer.

"You're always looking out for me, even when I don't deserve it," she says suddenly. "Especially when I don't deserve it."

"What?" I ask, confused.

"You didn't have to do that," she blurts out. "I screwed up at the Cornucopia. I went in for the bow and you got stabbed because of it." She's getting upset now.

"Hey," I say forcing her to look at me again. "It's fine. I'm fine. This is really nothing. It looks a lot worse than it is." I lean in to hug her but decide not to risk it. Without my jacket, my back is exposed and she really doesn't need to see that right now. Instead, I just lean my forehead against hers. "No reason to be upset, right?"

"Right," she answers flatly. She is upset with herself. She's blaming herself for my injury.

"Let's just get this thing covered so we can try to move on," I say, reaching for the first aid kit.

"No, we need to put some kind of medicine on it so you don't get an infection," she says opening the kit. I already know that the supplies of medicine don't include anything for this but I let her look. She pokes around for a few minutes before a silver parachute floats down between us. We stare at it for several seconds and then look at each other. She grabs it and unties it quickly. Inside there are more medical supplies, including everything we need to stitch up my shoulder.

"Perfect! Thank you, Haymitch," she says with a grin. At the mention of Haymitch, I feel a twinge of irritation. I don't understand why he would send medical supplies for me when Katniss and Rue have serious burns that could use medicine.

She proceeds to pull out all the required tools including some kind of ointment for infection and a needle and thread.

"Switch me places so you can lean against this rock," she orders. I waiver momentarily, afraid of the pain of leaning back but decide if I lean on the top of my back near my shoulders I should be okay. I turn with my back away from her and lean against the rock. I wince but she is paying more attention to getting things organized than me.

"You sure you can handle this?" I ask her. I'm more worried she will pass out than I am about the pain.

"Don't worry about me. Are you going to be okay?" She throws back at me. I laugh.

"Trust me, it can't get worse than it is," I say but I have spoken too soon. As she uses a sterile piece of cloth to clean the wound, I wince. The pressure alone is brutal. The skin is so inflamed it feels like she is raking her nails across the wound.

"Don't be such a baby," she says. She's trying to lighten the mood. I give her a weak smile. I hate this so much and she knows it. I would rather just cover the wound and keep moving.

She has just stuck the needle in my skin when I hear the noise. I jerk upright and the needle rips my skin further. I flinch but remain alert.

"Quit moving," she says.

"Shhh!" I say harshly. I listen and she does too. I hear the sounds of passage nearby and Katniss spins faster than I would have thought possible and pulls an arrow, loading the bow fluidly. She is fascinating to watch.

"Didn't mean to startle you," I hear Rue say.

"It's fine," Katniss answers, dropping the bow beside her. "We need to come up with a signal of some kind eventually." Rue and Thresh come to stand just behind Katniss taking in the wound on my shoulder.

"We didn't find any kind of cover so we'll have to get moving again soon," Thresh answers glancing around at the open area surrounding us. We are far too exposed here and we all know it.

"How are you feeling?" Rue asks me.

"Been worse," I reply, and I know it's true. It doesn't matter how badly I'm hurt, it hurt worse not knowing where Katniss was in the Arena.

"That doesn't look possible," she responds. "You can finish cleaning him up and we'll keep watch." Katniss nods.

I close my eyes as Katniss turns back to the wound on my shoulder. She has finished the first stitch before I notice her breathing has stopped all together. I open my eyes and look at her and although she's trying hard to hide it, her face is a terrible shade of green.

"Rue, how much do you know about sewing?" I ask, looking in her direction.

"Stop, I can do this," Katniss says, irritated. "I just need a second. This is really disgusting." I can't help but laugh at the look on her face. I want to lean in and hug her right now but I don't want to move my back.

"Please, by all means, continue," I say, leaning my head back and closing my eyes. I sit still for several minutes and the fatigue is about to overtake me when she touches my arm and makes me jump.

"Ouch," I snap harshly and bite my tongue against the stream of expletives that are trying to pour from my mouth. Katniss looks at me, hurt.

"I'm sorry," she says quietly. I not only startled her with my outburst but hurt her feelings. It wasn't that she touched me it's that I tensed when she did and hurt my back. I can't tell her that though.

"No, I'm sorry, you just startled me," I say softly. I reach for out and she places her hand in mine. I look down at the horrible blisters that have formed and are beginning to pop as she does this for me. I'm such a jerk sometimes. "I didn't mean to yell at you. Please, finish." She nods and I look away, more aware of where her hands are this time so as not to be caught off guard.

It takes several more minutes for her to finish with the stitches. She watches my face closely and stops when I wince. It's not as bad as I thought it would be. When she finishes with the stitches, she applies the cream and covers it with a bandage.

"I want to wash your shirt," she says.

"No," I reply quickly. "We need to find some cover. We are too exposed here."

"Gale, it's going to get infected if -" she begins but I cut her off.

"It'll be fine. We need to move on," I say quickly. She exchanges a quick look with Rue as I pull my shirt back over my shoulder and button it.

"Will you hand me my jacket?" I ask Katniss. She leans forward to grab my jacket and when she goes to hand it to me, I catch her hand. I pull her toward me and she doesn't resist. Once she's close enough, I put my hand on the side of her face.

"Thank you," I say, looking her in the eyes. She stares at me briefly as if deciding something.

"You're welcome," she replies softly and leans her forehead against mine. I want so badly to kiss her but I'm so scared. I find it amusing that I have found the fear I didn't feel at the Cornucopia in the thought of kissing Katniss.

**A/N:**** And there you have it! The fire is over! Whew. That chapter was even harder than the last one! I can't apologize enough for my EPIC UPDATE FAIL and thanks to everyone for the reviews and PM's... you helped keep me going more than you realize. I really try to answer every review but sometimes I honestly lose track so thanks to each and every one of you :)**

**--An extra Thank You, Thank You, Thank You goes to Spoofty, without whom this chapter and this story would be on a much different track. You have helped me more than you know!!**

**PS -- I really plan to try and do better with my updates now that I'm through the first 9 weeks of this semester... fingers crossed!!  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own the Hunger Games or any characters and I don't make any money from this story. There is no copyright intended.**

Chapter 13

Katniss takes the lead when we move on from our spot by the stream. With the bow, she is our best defense if we run into another tribute. As we walk, I notice we all seem to be moving slower. Thresh has an injury to his leg after falling during the fire but he is able to walk on it. Katniss is moving better after soaking her leg but I can see in her face just how much pain she is in. I mentally curse Haymitch once again for sending medical supplies for me and leaving her in pain.

"I think we should take a break," Katniss says, glancing around at the rest of us to see if we are in agreement. I nod my head from the back of the group.

We find a small grouping of bushes nearby filled with berries that are easily recognizable so we decided to pick some for a snack. It's easy to take enough to eat without making it obvious we came this direction. We were managing well without leaving a trail and moving more quietly than I would have thought possible considering the amount of injuries to our group.

Its early afternoon still but I know we are going to have to consider where we are going to make camp for the night. I know that the best option would be to sleep off the ground since we are all injured and won't be able to move as fast but I also know that it would be impossible for Thresh to climb high enough with his size. Plus, with my shoulder, I don't know if climbing would be an option for me either.

I glance around myself, taking in the surrounding forest as if I can will the answer to our problem to appear. I know the forests around District 12 well enough that I could walk through them silently with my eyes closed but the trees here are different. They are taller than the ones back home.

Home.

With that thought, I am suddenly no longer in the arena. I adjust my position against the tree I'm sitting beside and let my head fall slack to the side. My eyes slide shut as I consider the time and realize that my mother will be watching intently from our small living room while Posy plays unsuspectingly on the floor. I'm glad she's too young to understand what's happening. Rory and Vick will still be at school and only receiving small updates throughout the day. There are so many things I wish I had said to them at the Justice Building.

I think about Rory and the plans I had to take him out hunting with Katniss and I much more than I did. I knew that once I started working in the mines this year, it would be up to him to take care of my snares. I should have listened to Katniss and taken him with us sooner but I didn't want to risk him being caught then anymore than I like the thought of what he must be enduring now. The thought that he may be trying to take care of the family on his own weighs heavy on my mind. He will be the man of the house soon enough.

"Gale?" Katniss voice breaks into my thoughts and I notice she is closer than she was when I closed my eyes.

"Are you alright?" She asks, her face etched with concern. I blink several times before I realize that I must have fallen asleep sitting against the tree. The light hasn't changed much in the sky so I couldn't have been out long.

"Yea, sorry," I say softly and lean away from the tree slowly. I try to keep the pain off my face as I stretch and prepare to stand but the look of concern on her face deepens and I know that I failed miserably.

"Is it your shoulder?" She asks once I am on my feet and I nod quickly. I hate lying to her, especially after her reaction earlier this morning but I know it's the better option in this case. I am worried about the burn on my back but it's not something I can tell her about. She needs to focus on herself in order to survive.

We walk for another few hours, this time with Thresh in the lead and Katniss at the back of the group with her bow. I'm glad we managed to avoid seeing any other tributes after the fire but I worry about when that run in will occur. I know eventually it will happen but I hope that we can at least have one night to rest before we have to fight.

"We should start trying to find somewhere to camp for the night," I say to Thresh in early evening. I know we will be lucky to have four hours of sunlight left to find and make camp at this point.

Thresh stops and we glance around at our surroundings. The nearest trees aren't as close together as I would like for us to have some semblance of cover so we decide to walk a little farther and see if we can find anything better.

"Wait," Rue says softly after several more minutes. I turn around and Rue is peering off to our right. "I think I see something."

I immediately pull the knife from my belt thinking she has spotted another tribute. She walks in the direction of her gaze and straight to a large oak tree. I notice the opening several feet above Rue's head that seems to have caught her attention.

"Do you think it's hollow?" Katniss asks as we approach behind Rue. "I've never seen one with an opening that high," she notes.

"It might be," Rue answers as I step forward. The opening is just above my head and there are roots off to the side. I step on the roots, place both hands into the opening, and pull myself up enough to peer in.

"I think it is," I say trying to see to the bottom.

"How would we get back out?" Katniss asks and I look below myself long enough to place my feet in a higher spot.

"It doesn't look like it's completely hollow," I answer as I pull myself in to look down toward the ground inside the tree. There are a few sections where the inside of the tree has grown out to make several levels similar to steps. Either that or the Gamemakers have hollowed this tree for this reason. It looks almost deliberate.

I pull my body through the opening and I'm standing on a solid section. I look to the right and see another section jutting out from the tree so I hop down. There is one more section before you reach the ground. It wouldn't be a tough climb to get back out and it has plenty of room for all four of us. I pull myself back up to the top section in time to help Katniss and Rue pull themselves in to inspect the tree. Thresh comes in last, a little more skeptical about the tree.

"What if this is some sort of trap put here by the Gamemakers?" He asks as he leans in and looks down.

"It hasn't triggered anything yet," Katniss notes from below. I look down and she has made her way to the lowest level and is examining the edges of the tree to look for any more openings.

"It's either this or we sleep out in the open," I say and shrug. At this point, anything seems better than sleeping outside without cover. I know the Careers will be hunting at night and even with someone on guard, if they found us outside, we would be doomed before the fight started.

In the end, Thresh decides it's worth the risk to be able to sleep a little more comfortably inside the hollow tree. We still need to find some food so we make our way back out and split up. Katniss wants to hunt and as much as I know I should go with her, there is the more pressing matter of the wound on my back. Rue stays nearby to collect some roots and berries while Thresh and I prepare to build a small fire and we agree to meet back up and few minutes walk away from our tree. If the smoke draws the Careers or any other tributes toward us, we don't want them to find the tree.

"Listen, I need a favor," I begin once both girls are a good distance away. Thresh turns to face me and raises an eyebrow in question. "I have a burn on my back from the fire last night but I don't want Katniss to know about it. You saw how she freaked out about my shoulder and I don't need her to worry. Would you help me clean it?" My voice is trailing off by the end. I feel weak asking for help but I have no choice. If I don't tell someone about it, it will definitely get infected and I will have no one to blame but myself.

"Of course," Thresh says and I pull the pack and jacket from my back. He steps closer to examine the wound but makes no sound of surprise at the severity. "It looks like your shirt is stuck to the wound. I can clean it some without removing the shirt but we should really try pulling it off."

I nod and kneel on the ground, sitting back on my heels. I open the buttons and slowly pull the shirt off my injured shoulder first. I stop long enough to let Thresh begin cleaning the wound and wetting the shirt around where it has adhered to the edges of the burn. I pull the shirt off my other shoulder once he is ready and fight not to cry out as he begins to remove it. I finally release my breath in a gust once I feel the last thread of fabric pulled from my skin. I lean forward, thinking I am going to be sick from the dizzying pain but I manage to hold in what little food I have eaten since the fire.

"Alright, I'm going to try again to clean it," Thresh says as he pulls out another water bottle. I close my eyes in relief as the water runs down my back.

As he finishes rinsing the burn, I pull out my knife and cut away the damaged area of the shirt. I'm hoping if I keep the dirty fabric away from the edges of the wound, perhaps I won't have to endure this process again.

I pull my shirt and jacket back into place carefully with trembling hands. The burn is raw and the material of the jacket is rough as it skims across my back. It's not long after that Rue reappears with roots and berries. We decide to go ahead and start the fire since its dusk and we want to put it out before we draw too much attention to this area.

"I'm going to go look for Katniss," I say, glancing in the direction I last saw her.

"She's been gone a long time," Rue points out and I nod as the sinking feeling of dread begins to wash over me.

"I'll be back," I say quickly and take off in the direction she disappeared. I walk quickly through the woods, following the subtle signs of her passage and berating myself silently for letting her go off on her own. I pull the knife from my belt, knowing that I need to be prepared in case I run into another tribute. I swallow the panic trying to rise in my throat and relax myself enough to pay close attention to my surroundings. I tell myself that Katniss is better off than I am because she has the bow. She's fine.

After walking nearly a mile, I hear a soft sound of movement that could have been an animal but I immediately freeze in my spot. I notice the movement ceased as well and I step closer to the nearest tree in a silent motion. I strain my ears, listening for a very distinct sound before I begin to wonder if it was Katniss I heard or another tribute. I was positive at the time that the sound was her - having heard her move through the woods regularly - but after not hearing anything for nearly a minute, I feel my right hand clutch tighter at the hilt of the knife as the realization sets in; it was not her.

Just as my mind spins into a planning mode, trying to determine how to handle this, I hear the sound I was waiting for earlier: three soft raps against the trunk of a tree. In my relief, I almost forget to respond but I reach out and lightly knock twice on the tree next to me. I hear her relieved sigh and release the breath I hadn't realized I was holding. I step out from behind the tree and see her walking toward me from my right.

"Gale," I hear her say softly in acknowledgment but instead of the relief I felt moments ago, I'm filled with anger.

"Where have you been?" I ask and my voice is sharper than I intend. She stops walking and stares at me, her brow furrows as she tries to understand my tone.

"I was hunting," she motions to her belt where several rabbits and a few squirrels hang. Her eyes search mine for understanding.

"You were gone for way too long," I say, reigning in my anger a bit so the words come across more irritated than irate.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was on a time limit," she says, challenging my anger with her words. She steps around me with the bow still loaded in her hands and continues back toward the camp.

I follow her back silently and it's nearly dark by the time we arrive. Rue and Thresh have used the fire to cook the roots Rue gathered and we don't have much time left. Katniss quickly but expertly skins her kills and puts the meat on the fire to cook. We quickly pack up and head back toward our tree, eating our fill of rabbit meat thanks to Katniss.

Just before we arrive back at the tree, the anthem begins and we all stop simultaneously to look at the sky. The seal appears but there are no faces tonight. I wonder briefly if the Gamemakers are worried that their precious little fire trick didn't cause any deaths. I realize that besides death, sometimes the Gamemakers interventions are just to bring excitement, which the fire no doubt did. It also created multiple injuries in our group alone and we can't be the only ones that were affected. I remember Katniss' comment about being "The Girl on Fire" and draw in a sharp breath as I realize that the fire may have been about nothing more than injuring her.

"I'll take first watch," I say when we arrive back to the tree. I let the others climb into the tree first and watch as they settle in on the ledges lining the inside. Just below me is Thresh and on the lower ledge is Katniss and Rue. I sit just inside the opening and glance out into the dark forest that is barely visible through the branches of the tree. I notice for the first time how well the branches of the tree conceal our entrance.

"You should give him the glasses, Katniss," Rue says, suddenly excited.

"What glasses?" I ask curiously. I look down and watch as Katniss puts her orange backpack onto her lap and pulls out a pair of what appear to be sunglasses. She stands up out of the sleeping bag and climbs up to the opening where I am.

"They are night vision glasses. Rue said they use them during harvests. I completely forgot they were in my pack with all the excitement last night," she says. She sits down next to me on the top level as I try on the glasses and look out at the now visible forest.

"These are great," I say and hear her soft laugh beside me. "I wish we had some of these back home."

"Yeah, it would've made those late night hunts a lot easier," Katniss responds as she leans back next to me. I look away from the trees and toward her.

"You should get some sleep," I say and her eyes meet mine before flitting away to the opening of the tree.

"I just need to say something," she says and she leans toward me without meeting my gaze. I watch in shock as she places her head on my chest. After a minute of silence, I carefully reach out with my left hand and push the hair that has come loose from her braid behind her ear. I rest my chin on the top of her head and look out toward the trees.

"I'm sorry," I whisper into her hair. I know she is trying to find words to apologize to me about earlier but I also know she is not the one that should be making amends. I was angry over something that I shouldn't have been. She lifts her face toward mine slowly, keeping her cheek against my chest and smiles.

"You stole my line," she answers softly without moving her eyes from mine. "I was going to apologize to you. When I stopped to think how I would have felt… how I did feel when I didn't know where you were…" she trails off but I am still caught up in her eyes.

"It's my fault. I should have gone with you," I respond but my voice doesn't sound right. I can't think of anything else to say so I don't speak. I lean forward without warning, without thinking, and touch my lips to hers. I hear her shocked intake of breath but before I can pull away, she reaches up and holds my face to hers. The kiss is soft and over much too soon. She pulls back slightly and meets my eyes with her hand still cupping my cheek.

"Let's just say we both screwed up today," she says and her familiar smile breaks across her face like the sun lighting the sky after a storm. I can't help the chuckle that escapes me.

"You should sleep," I say again and I lean forward to press my lips to her forehead. She smiles at me again before she turns to climb back down to her ledge. I watch her until she settles into the sleeping bag with Rue. With the glasses, I can see her face as she looks back at me again before closing her eyes and rolling on her side with her back to me.

I look back out at the trees and try to keep myself from thinking about the kiss. I don't want to read too much into it because I know that it was just for the cameras… wasn't it? She seemed genuinely surprised that I kissed her but she responded for the sake of our sponsors… right? I shake my head to dispel the thoughts and concentrate on the forest.

I realize another plus of having a large group when I wake Thresh after only two hours on watch. It'll be nice not to have to stay up for four hours or more in the dark night. Instead of taking Thresh's spot on the ledge, I quietly work my way down to the base of the tree. As I settle in on the ground level with my sleeping bag, I realize I was the one who didn't sleep last night. It was my watch when the fire started. It's no wonder I was snapping a Katniss toady.

"Gale. Gale," I hear my name whispered from somewhere right beside me. As the sound registers, my eyes fly open and I sit up quickly. I hiss as the pain in my back doubles from the swift movement.

I glance around to find Katniss resting on her knees next to me. I notice for the first time the amount of light coming in through the opening well above my head.

"Sorry. Everyone else is ready for breakfast," she explains and offers a hand to help me up. I stand slowly to avoid pulling at the injury across my back. She watches me suspiciously as I roll up my sleeping bag and put it in my pack.

We climb out of the tree and I take a minute to stretch. My right hand that was injured before the Games seems to be working better everyday. My left is about the same, although the pain in my shoulder has decreased quite a bit since yesterday. Apparently, whatever Haymitch sent really did help.

As we finish our meal, I start to think about the upcoming day. So far, in the arena, we've been taking one day at a time and while that has seemed to work to this point, I don't think it will much longer. Other than the four of us and the four Careers, there aren't many others left alive.

"We need a plan," I say, putting a voice to my thoughts. I'm not sure what we should do, if anything, but I know sitting around waiting for the Careers to attack is out of the question. We need to be prepared if we are going to defeat them.

"I've been thinking about that," Katniss begins. "I think we should try to spy on the Careers." No one knew what to say to that. It seemed like an insane idea.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea. Do we even know where they are?" Rue asks quietly.

"Even if we did, what good would spying on them be?" I ask. I can't understand her logic but she was so automatic in her response that it makes me wonder how long she has been working on this plan.

"Well, we can't just sit around here waiting, can we?" She asks with certainty in her voice. I stare at her a moment before she continues. "If we knew what they have in the way of supplies, we could try to figure out some way to attack. If we spy on them, we'll have a better idea of their routine."

"That's a bad idea," I respond as soon as she finishes talking. "Spying on them would put us in a position to be ambushed ourselves if they figured out we are close."

"I don't know," Thresh says. "I think it's a pretty good idea. If they do catch us and attack, at least it's an even fight. There are only four of them left."

"That doesn't make it an even fight," I demand. "What do we have in the way of weapons compared to them? The only one of us with a decent weapon for distance fighting is Katniss."

"What do you suggest?" Katniss challenges.

"I'm not sure but I don't think that trying to spy on the Careers is the right way to go," I answer after a pause.

"Let's think this through. How many tributes are left?" Rue asks.

"Eleven," Katniss answers automatically.

"The four of us, the four Careers, who else?" Thresh counts off.

"Foxface," Katniss answers. I look at her, confused. "That's what I nicknamed the girl from 5," she says in response.

"The boy from 10," I say trying to remember whom I saw in the sky that first night. "The one with the bad leg. There's one more…" I trail off.

There are several minutes of silence as we try to work out the missing tribute in our minds. We all know what the point of this exercise was and my mind quickly drifts from trying to figure out the last tribute to the logic behind the question.

"Other than the four of us and the four Careers, there are only three other tributes," I say and sigh as realization hits. I understand now why Katniss is ready to risk such a maneuver. "Any idea where to start to look for them?" I ask Katniss once I realize her point.

"Well, if you were a Career where would you set up camp?" She asks and we all take a moment to consider.

"For all they know, the lake would be the only source of water. Plus, the lake is near the horn so they wouldn't have to move the supplies to keep them close," Rue answers quickly and Katniss nods.

"I think the lake is as good a guess as anywhere else in here. It makes sense that they would set up camp there. If they thought that was the only water source, they must have assumed they could pick us off when we got desperate enough to head back for water," Katniss replies.

As the morning progresses we set a plan to and start to head back toward the lake. We take inventory of our food supply but we are still good there after Katniss' large haul yesterday. We travel quickly and quietly and soon we are moving on ground that is more flat and less at the downhill slope we are used to.

Our pace slows as we get nearer to the edge of the forest as we all listen for the sounds of any other tributes moving nearby. Its mid afternoon and we all know we should eat before we get any closer. I glance at Katniss and she almost immediately looks my way.

"We should stop and eat something before we get any closer," I say softly. If the past Games have taught me anything, it's that the Careers will most likely be asleep now because they usually prefer to hunt at night.

"I agree," Katniss replies and we stop and eat a quiet meal of rabbit and some berries that Rue found on a bush nearby.

"Do we have a plan from here?" I ask as we finish our meal and prepare to head off again.

"Well, once we get close enough to the edge of the woods, I guess we'll have to look for a good spot to hide," Katniss responds.

"I have an idea," Rue interjects. "Why don't I try getting closer since I can do it safely from the trees? I can see more from there without the risk of them seeing me on the ground."

"I don't know, Rue," Katniss says and I know she is nervous now at the thought of sending Rue to spy.

"Will you be safe up there?" I ask. Katniss' nervous expression is weighing down my own emotions and I'm not sure how comfortable I am putting Rue at the front of this plan either.

"Oh yes. I can move a lot faster in the trees. You guys can wait here and I'll head down. If I find a spot we can all look from, I'll let you know. I can gather more information from a closer perspective, though," Rue answers excitedly. I glance at Katniss who is watching Rue nervously.

"Be careful," Thresh says and nods to Rue. She teaches Katniss a whistle, some sort of birdcall. They practice the short tune that we can use to let each other know of our approach.

After a few minutes, Rue quickly jogs to a nearby tree and scales it, making the movements seem completely effortless. I hear rustling nearby and the tree next to the one she climbs moves slightly, a high branch shifting under what I assume is her weight. Then another moves in the next tree and I realize belatedly that she is literally hopping from tree to tree.

"Amazing," I say softly and piece together her little hop down from the trees the day she found Thresh and I near the pond.

"She's a pretty incredible little girl," Katniss says, staring after the tiny child.

We wait a bit impatiently for Rue's return. Katniss stares blankly toward the spot where Rue disappeared but snaps her head around at every sound. She begins to pace silently after about an hour. Her pacing picks up speed at two hours. I stand stiffly from my spot and move to stop her.

"Calm down," I say. "She's fine."

"How do you know?" Katniss asks and I see a fear in her eyes I haven't seen since the bloodbath.

"We would have heard the cannon," Thresh answers, coming to stand behind me.

Suddenly, all our heads turn in the direction of a soft rustling. A few seconds later, the rustling is closer. Katniss pulls up her bow in preparation but as the rustling sound gets closer we hear Rue's whistle and Katniss sighs before whistling back to signal to Rue that it is safe to return. She steps forward as Rue jumps swiftly down from the branches of the same tree she climbed only a few hours ago.

"Are you okay?" Katniss asks as Rue walks purposefully toward our group.

"Great," she answers excitedly. "I found them. It took a little longer to get to a close enough spot without being obvious but I did find a tree that I could hide in for a while. They were all asleep except two and one of them was the boy from district 3, I think."

"District 3?" I ask, trying to figure out what that could mean or who else it could have been. "How many of them were there?"

"Five," she answered quickly. "Both from 1 and 2 and the other boy that was sitting a little ways away from them. He seemed to be working on something mechanical but I couldn't tell what he was doing. The other boy that was awake didn't seem to pay much attention to him. The other good news is I found a spot close enough on the ground that some of us can get closer to look from there. I don't think we can all go at once but a few at a time, maybe."

We sit and discuss a plan for a few minutes longer before we decide that Katniss and I will head down toward the Careers camp to take a closer look and Rue and Thresh will wait for us. Rue points us in the direction of a small cluster of rocks amongst the trees at the line where the forest meets the clearing. She warns that we won't be close enough to hear them from there but we should be able to see.

Katniss and I move swiftly and nearly silently through the woods. It's comfortable to be with her like this, as it seems more like our normal routine. She has her bow loaded and ready and my knife is drawn as we approach the rocks. She crouches behind the rocks as I move from the cover of one tree to another, trying to get a bit closer.

They all seem to be awake now, which makes sense because it's late afternoon by this point. I stare in shock at the mountain of supplies sitting near the lake. The Careers definitely have it made in the way of food. There are stacks of boxes, barrels, and even several burlap sacks that are stacked and hung around in a pyramid shape.

I notice that Rue was correct about the boy from District 3. He is now on his hands and knees near the stack of supplies and seems to be digging in the dirt. I watch as he slowly moves a small disk of metal in his hands and places it in front of him. He very carefully covers it with a small amount of dirt and backs slowly away from it. He seems to let out a heavy breath once he is about six feet away. I narrow my eyes in confusion as I try to understand the odd gesture. I glance back at Katniss who is squinting in the same direction I was just looking. She looks at me and shrugs, she clearly doesn't know anymore than I do about what is going on.

I look back and watch as the boy settles on the ground near a stack of the same metal objects. He turns one over several times in his hands before he sets it on the ground in front of him and goes to work on it. I try to squint to get a closer look but I still can't piece together what I'm seeing. I glance back at the other Careers who seem completely unconcerned with what he is doing. I watch the boy until he begins to rise to his feet with the metal object in his hands. He seems to be moving carefully once again, holding the small piece in his hands in a way I've seen before. I try to place the action, the way his body moves in response to the object in his hands, as if it's dangerous.

As he approaches the pyramid, his attention turns to his feet. He seems to take his time, thinking through each step before he makes it. Before long, he stops and glances around him before lowering himself slowly to the ground. As he places the metal object carefully on the dirt in front of him, it hits me. Explosive. I've seen the miner's back home move that way when they are carrying dynamite. I try to rationalize how he would be making something explosive but my mind comes up blank.

After watching him play out the same routine of covering the metal with dirt and stepping back slowly, I'm certain that whatever it is he is burying is explosive. I move quickly back to where Katniss is hiding and we leave without a word. I wait until we are about a mile away before I speak.

"Did you understand what he was doing?" I ask her quietly without letting my eyes leave the trees in front of me. She is behind me, watching for any sign of approach from the Careers.

"Not really. I was surprised to see the boy from 3 but the others didn't seem to even pay attention to him being there," she replies in the same soft tone.

"He seemed to be working on some sort of explosive," I say and hear her suck in a breath.

"How do you know that's what it was?" She asks after a moment.

"Did you notice how he carried it? The way he moved once he stood and the way he lowered it to the ground. He stepped so softly away, it reminded me of the miners back home when they are working with dynamite," I answer and she remains quiet, obviously comparing our observations with her memories of home.

"I think you're right but what could it be?" She asks but I don't respond because I'm still trying to figure that one out myself.

As we approach the meeting area, Katniss whistles the tune Rue taught to her and we listen for only a few seconds before Rue responds. Shortly after, we step into the small cluster of trees where we left Rue and Thresh before. We briefly explain the scene we saw but decide it's best to keep moving farther away for the night.

We are all considering the possibility of the explosives on the way back to our tree. We stop at the stream and refill our water bottles for the night. It's nearly dark when we arrive back to our normal fire spot and we stop and eat some more of the left over rabbit and redress our wounds. Katniss seems to be happy with the much smaller amount of blood on the bandage at my shoulder and I'm feeling less stiffness in both my shoulder and hand. The pain in my back, however, is still intense. Once we finish with the wounds, we continue toward our tree.

"Do you think it's possible to reactivate the mines?" Katniss asks suddenly when we arrive back at the tree after our brief meal. We are all standing outside the opening to wait for the anthem and the death recap for the day.

"The mines that were around our plates in the beginning of the Games?" I ask in awe of the thought.

"If it were, I bet District 3 would be the ones who could do it," Thresh answers. He has a point that the district in charge of electronic gadgets would probably be the most capable but is it possible?

"It makes sense," Katniss replies. "I can't think of anything else it could be."

We discuss the options left to us until the anthem begins and the seal appears in the sky. We have decided that tomorrow, we will again split up into pairs and try again to spy and get more information from the Career camp. As the anthem ends and the sky goes dark, I begin to wonder if we will have another peaceful night. It's been too long without a death and the Capitol viewers won't be happy.

"We have to take out their supplies," Katniss says, picking up our previous conversation as soon as the anthem ends. "Our ability to hunt is the only advantage we have at this point."

"How do you suggest we do that?" I ask. I'm not sure it's possible but it would give us an edge over the Careers.

"I'm not sure but I know there's a way," she answers and I her eyes narrow as she stares off toward the trees. She's trying to work out a plan in her mind and knowing her, she will succeed.

Thresh and Rue climb quickly into the tree, leaving Katniss and I standing outside as she continues to contemplate this new idea of hers. After several minutes, I decide it's time for us to head inside and I step forward and place my hands on her shoulders. I bend slightly so I can look her in the eyes.

"Catnip?" I ask quietly and her eyes snap to mine.

"That's it!" She says excitedly and her smile slowly spreads across her face. She throws her arms around my waist in her moment of elation. I wrap my arms around her shoulders and hold her to me, expecting to hear her plan.

"What's it?" I ask when she doesn't elaborate.

"We can use the mines against them. If they are close enough together then all we have to do is find a way to set off one and cause a sort of chain reaction," she explains and looks up into my eyes. Her smile turns a bit smug, no doubt in response to the dumbfounded expression on my own face.

"Brilliant," I reply with the only word I can think of. I lean down slowly and touch my lips to hers. She stiffens slightly but returns the kiss. It's a different kiss than last night, deeper, but I still feel her pull away too soon.

A small movement nearby catches our attention and we both turn at the same moment, our weapons ready. It takes a second to register the silver parachute floating to the ground beside us. Katniss stares, seeming momentarily shocked as I lean forward and pick up the small tube attached to the parachute. I open it, trying to figure out what it might be. I hand it to Katniss, who has stepped forward and she squeezes a small amount of white cream onto one of her hands. Her eyes widen as she rubs her hands together and she sighs softly.

"It must be a burn cream. It takes the heat away," she says, as she finishes rubbing it between her palms. She takes the tube then, and puts some on the burn on her calf. Her face relaxes as she rubs softly over the ruined skin.

We climb into the tree and she explained the tube to Rue and Thresh. They both had only minor burns from the fire and while they treat them, Katniss pulls out her sleeping bag on the same small ledge as the night before. Rue snuggles down into the bag and Thresh gets out his own to get comfortable for the night. Katniss climbs back up to where I sit at the top, taking first watch again.

"Goodnight," she says softly and leans in to place a chaste kiss on my lips. She pulls back and meets my eyes while I try to keep the surprise off my face. This is the first time she has initiated the kiss and while my body stays frozen in shock, she smiles and squeezes my hand before climbing back down to her sleeping bag with Rue.

I stare after her for a moment before pulling out the night vision glasses and turning my attention to the empty forest. As I stare into the dark night, I just hope that our plan is enough to keep the Gamemakers from any using any drastic measures tonight.

**A/N:**** Okay, I originally planned for this chapter to go another day into the story but the characters got a bit windy when they were talking. We are sitting at over 7,000 words for this chapter so it's one of my longest... hopefully that makes up for my absence. A special thanks to Spoofty, as always... she has been an amazing friend and very vocal soundboard. She's helped me so much!! :) I have been trying to keep up with reviews but I sometimes lose track of who I replied to, so if I missed you or if you reviewed anonymously... THANK YOU!! I read them all and love them :D**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter... also, on a side note, this story is currently being translated into Russian by DaMpiRka. I am thrilled to be international!!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Not long after Katniss has fallen asleep, I hear something moving and turn to see Rue digging quietly in Katniss's backpack. Once she finds what she's looking for, Rue climbs up to join me on my level. I notice the tube of burn cream in her hand that she must have pulled out of the pack and I look at her curiously.

"I heard you and Thresh when he was cleaning your burn. I won't say anything to Katniss but you should really use some of this. It will probably help keep infection away and make you feel better," she explains. I stare at her for a moment before she continues. "If you turn around, I'll put it on for you."

"Thanks," I say quietly and turn. I had planned to ask Thresh to apply some of the cream when I woke him for his turn on guard and I can't get past the shock that Rue has shown such a nurturing side.

I hand her the glasses so she can see what she is doing and remove my jacket. Her breathing hitches slightly when I turn my back toward her but she doesn't react otherwise. As she applies the cream, I feel an odd sense of déjà vu. I'm confused by the thought because I barely know Rue but after a few minutes I realize it's not Rue I'm remembering in this moment at all.

It was several years ago and Katniss and I had been hunting most of the day. It was evening and we were headed back to the fence from a deep section of the woods when we heard the pack of wild dogs. With our haul, it would have been impossible to outrun them so we took to the trees. Katniss has always reminded me of a squirrel in the way she climbs so quickly and skillfully but I have to be more careful. I picked the wrong branch and it cracked under my weight. I fell several feet and hit a few other branches before catching myself. Unfortunately, one of the broken branches sliced down the back of my right arm from the shoulder to the elbow. I immediately wrapped my arm to keep the blood from the dogs and after a short time, they lost interest in us and moved on. Once we were out of the tree, we headed quickly under the fence. I tried to tell Katniss I was fine and head home but she demanded I stop at her house so her mother could look at the wound. This wasn't the first time one of us had been injured in the woods but it was the first time Prim helped their mother patch me up.

I turn and smile at Rue as she finishes but my smile is sad. I can't help but think of where she would be right now if Katniss hadn't been there to volunteer for Prim. I can almost see her and Prim together in the arena and I shake my head to dispel the disturbing image. Katniss was there to save Prim but there was no one there to save Rue… there's no one here to save Rue, either. This alliance is going to have to end sometime and what happens then? Do I really have it in me to kill this tiny, innocent child?

"You should probably try to leave your jacket off as much as possible. The fresh air might help," she suggests, completely oblivious to my inner monologue.

No, I don't have it in me and I knew that before the question formed in my mind.

"You're probably right. Thanks. You should get some sleep," I say and fight to swallow around the lump in my throat. She smiles at me and hands me back the glasses before saying a quiet goodnight and climbing back down to the sleeping bag with Katniss. I watch her slide back into the bag before I turn my attention back toward the trees.

I try to keep my mind on nothing but the empty night outside but it keeps drifting to Rue and Prim and even Posy. Posy is only four but that doesn't mean much anymore. She is only eight years away from her first Reaping. As much as I hate the thought of Rory being in the Reaping next year and Vick shortly after, it's the thought of little Posy standing there that terrifies me. I knew how Katniss felt about Prim before she volunteered for her because I have done everything possible to protect my siblings as well but now I won't be there to protect them. I try not to think about the future but the thoughts come anyway.

I know there is no way I would have been able to volunteer for Rory. The age difference between us is too great and I would've had no choice but to stand by helpless if Rory was Reaped next year. Of course, there is still that chance. Regardless of whether I was there or not, Rory will be in the Reaping. The only question now is will my family be so bad off that Rory has to go against my wishes and sign up for the tesserae? That would only add to his chances… and what about Vick? It won't be long before both of them are in the Reaping. The odds are not in the favor of my family. I had been extremely lucky to never be Reaped with forty-two entries. There's little chance that the other members of my family will be as lucky. I can only imagine how hard it was for my mother to watch me leave for the Games knowing why I volunteered and that I wasn't planning on returning. What will happen to her if she loses another child to the Games? Will she be able to handle it? My mother is one of the strongest women I know but to lose her husband and oldest son is more than most women can handle. To lose another child after would break even the strongest…

I take a deep breath and try to steer my thoughts away from that path. I know I've been on watch longer than normal but I also know that I won't be able to shut off my brain and sleep so I stay awake through most of the night. When I finally do wake Thresh to take watch, he seems confused by the position of the moon shining in the opening of the tree.

"I wasn't tired," I say in explanation and work my way down to the bottom level. I unroll my sleeping bag and arrange myself on my right side since I still have limited choices. I leave my jacket off and push myself closer to the trunk of the tree in hopes that the burn will heal faster without the constant cover.

The next thing my mind registers is muffled voices. As I fight through the fog of sleep, I open my eyes and see blinding light shining in the opening of our tree. I blink until my eyes adjust before sitting up slowly and beginning to stretch. I look around and notice that Rue is packing up but the voices I hear are coming from outside the tree. I glance higher and see that Katniss and Thresh are missing before I register that it was their voices outside the tree.

"I'm not sure," I hear Thresh say.

"It's the best way. We have to lure them away from the camp so we can get a closer look to pull off any kind of plan," Katniss responds. From the sound of things, she has a plan formulated already.

"But splitting up may not be the best way…" Thresh trails off and I hear shuffling before I realize that Rue is climbing out of the tree. They don't pick up the conversation as she joins them so I use the opportunity to roll my sleeping bag and replace my jacket before climbing out myself.

Once all four of us are awake, we walk to our normal fire area and eat a large breakfast. No one says much during the meal but I feel the tension running through all of us. The Game will change today, drastically, but the only question is how.

"We need to split up," Katniss says to break the silence and start the conversation of the coming events.

"Why?" Rue asks and I hear the edge of fear in her voice, though she keeps it from her face.

"Someone needs to get closer to the supply pile so we can figure out if we are right about the mines. The Careers are there all day so we need a diversion. We need something, or someone, to draw them away from their camp so we can decide how to proceed," Katniss voice is sure but she avoids my eyes as she speaks. "I think the best plan is for Thresh and I to head to the camp, while Rue and Gale set up the diversion."

"No," I say without hesitation. "Not a chance." I realize that this is what she was talking to Thresh about this morning outside of the tree but he didn't seem to like the idea, either. No one speaks for several minutes and Katniss continues to dodge my gaze.

"It's the only way," she says firmly.

"How about if Thresh goes with Rue and I come with you?" I ask, already knowing she has a reason behind this but refusing to give in without a fight.

"The best way to draw them out will be to set fires. If you set up several of them in a row, using green wood, you will get their attention. Rue and Thresh aren't fast enough at setting fires, Gale," she finally meets my eyes as she speaks my name. "It has to be you or me in order for us to get away in time. I can go with Rue but that leaves you and Thresh to destroy the supplies. If our theory about the mines is right, the bow will be the only way."

I stare at her, trying to work out another plan quickly in my head. There has to be another answer. I can't let her go again, not after everything that has happened.

"I'm still not sure this is such a good idea," Thresh says, interrupting my planning. "I think that we are a strong group but if we separate we leave ourselves vulnerable."

"I agree," I respond quickly, knowing by the look in Katniss's eyes that it won't be enough. She's thought out every avenue of this plan and will not be deterred.

"There is no other choice," she responds simply but in a voice that leaves my thoughts reeling. There has to be another choice. There is always another choice.

"What if we teach Rue and Thresh how to set a fire? What if-"I ask but she cuts me off.

"There's no time. If we don't act soon, the Gamemakers will and none of us want that," and with those words, she had us. We knew, just as well as she did, that another Gamemaker intervention would be tragic for our little group. I close my eyes, the pain in my body forgotten as the gravity of our situation sinks in.

"How many fires should we set?" Rue asks quietly and with that simple statement, we all realize that this is our plan now. There is no more argument as we spend the next hour laying the groundwork for the destruction of the supplies.

We talk about each piece of the plan, step-by-step, setting up everything from escape plans if things go bad, to codes and meeting places. We don't want to meet back at the tree for fear of drawing pursuers so our plan is to meet here, our fire pit.

We walk together in silence until it's time to part ways. Katniss embraces me lightly, pressing her forehead to my chest as I wrap one arm around her and pull her close. I try again to reason it out in my head. There has to be another way to do this. She looks up at me and shakes her head, as if she is reading my thoughts and I know that she practically is. I lean down and kiss the top of her head before her hands reach up and pull my face to hers. The kiss is tentative, unsure, but scared. I feel the fear from both of us in the kiss and it makes me pull away from her, determined now that it will not be our last.

"I'll see you," I say, needing her to know that this is not goodbye.

"Soon," she says simply, her eyes conveying the strength I am so used to seeing in her.

After Katniss and Thresh disappear through the trees, Rue and I set to work on the first fire. We gather wood and set it up at the fork where we had split from the others. We agreed to wait two hours before starting the first fire so we hike several miles to prepare the next two. Once they are set, we head back toward the first fire.

We haven't been walking long when the cannon fires, causing both of us to freeze in place, momentarily stunned. I look at Rue and her eyes are wide. We wait but after several minutes, there are no other cannons.

"It couldn't have been them," Rue says softly and I know she's trying to convince herself just as much as me. "If the Careers had caught them, they would have killed them both. If a fight had broken out, more would have died."

"I think we should head down there," I say and turn in that direction, preparing to run until I can see Katniss and know she is safe. I feel stupid for ever letting her go off without me.

"We have to go ahead with the plan. They are waiting for us and if we fail, they fail and they are too close to the camp to fail now," she responds and takes a shaky breath. I look at her tiny figure, the bravery she is showing in this moment and nod. She's right, of course. They are counting on us.

We make our way back to the first fire, setting it and moving swiftly toward the second. I struggle a bit with the second fire, unable to get the matches from my pack to cooperate for a few minutes but soon it ignites, sending up a pillar of dark smoke.

Rue and I move swiftly toward the third fire, which we have set up the farthest away when she trips, falling to the forest floor in front of me. I rush forward to help her up and see her legs are wrapped up in some sort of rope; a net of some sort maybe.

"It's a trap," I say, recognizing immediately that an amateur had set this to snare someone and because we were rushing, I didn't notice. I curse under my breath, berating myself for not paying closer attention.

I pull out my knife and begin slicing at the ropes, freeing Rue but not before we hear the voices. Several voices, raised in the way only the Careers would be bold enough to speak in the woods. Their feet running in our direction quickly. Rue is staring in that direction, panic clear on her face. I grab her and turn her to face me. I point to the top of a nearby tree and she shakes her head, pointing to her ankle, which I can see is already swelling and turning a deep purple.

I clench the knife in my fist, trying to come up with another plan of escape before scooping Rue into my arms and running toward the cover of some nearby bushes. I sit Rue lightly on the ground and crouch beside her just as several of the Careers come into view. I'm not feeling my wounds as much but I know because of my increased heart rate it's the adrenaline running through my veins.

"They came this way," I hear and move my head to look between the leaves of the bushes we are hiding behind. I see the boy from District 1 pushing the severed rope aside with his foot.

"Had to be recently," the voice is female but I can't tell who because I can't see. I briefly wonder if all five of them are here, knowing I won't be able to take them all on alone. I glance down at Rue, her wide eyes trained on the scene unfolding before her but showing no fear.

"They can't be far," I recognize Cato's voice as he steps into my line of sight. They all look around silently for a moment, listening for sounds of passage that we aren't making. Cato starts moving again and the rest follow his lead, searching the trees for any signs of us.

I look back toward Rue beside me and meet her eyes. My mind spins, trying to find an escape. I glance around quickly realizing the depth of our situation. We are trapped here. Any movement will draw attention to our location. I scowl and clutch my knife tighter, knowing there is no option left but to fight.

"Stay here," I mouth the words silently to Rue, pointing to the ground under our feet. Her eyes flash, showing her fear as she shakes her head. Suddenly, the sound of leaves crunching moves closer and I turn my head to look between the leaves of the bushes.

Cato has his sword drawn and is moving in our direction but still searching above himself, in the trees. I know once he gets close enough he will look in the bushes and we will be found. I turn back to Rue and point to the ground again, telling her with my look to stay put but she doesn't have time to respond before the sound of a large explosion in the distance rumbles through the air and I feel the light tremors through the ground.

"What was that?" one of the girls asks and Cato pauses mid step.

"The supplies," Cato growls and all their attention is turned back toward their camp.

"It couldn't be. One mine wouldn't make that much noise," the boy from District 1 argues.

"But all of them might," a soft male voice says and though I can't see him, I assume it's the boy from District 3.

"You'd better hope you're wrong, District 3," Cato says in a harsh voice. "Marvel, Glimmer, you two find whoever lit these fires. We're going back to catch the others at the camp."

With that Cato ran off, shoving the boy from District 3 in front of him and barking instructions to let him deal with District 12 when they find us. I realize he assumes Katniss and I are together so he will find both of us at once.

"You look that way," the girl, Glimmer apparently, snaps at Marvel. I lean and see him moving away from us, in the direction of our unlit fire. I hear footsteps moving closer, although I'm in the wrong position to see Glimmer clearly. I reason that there are only two of them now so I have a better chance against them than I did before.

I grip the handle of my knife so tightly that my knuckles feel as if they will break through my skin. I quietly slide the other knife into my boot to use for a backup if I need it. My heart is racing as the footsteps get closer to our hiding spot and Glimmer steps into view. I hear Marvel moving further away and realize that this is my chance. I look to Rue once more and point to the ground; she stares with wide eyes but doesn't respond. I turn back to watch Glimmer approach, the sword in her hand reflecting the small streams of sunlight breaking through the trees.

Just as she reaches the edge of the bushes, she turns to glance over her shoulder and I immediately take advantage of her mistake. I jump from the ground and grab her by her hair. She screams as I spin her quickly so her back is against my chest before I drag my knife roughly across her throat. Blood pours from the wound and she drops the sword, both hands clutching at the wound as she gasps for breath and falls to her knees.

"Glimmer!" Marvel shouts, breaking back into the small clearing as she falls face first into the dirt and the cannon sounds. I can feel my hand trembling; hear the blood dripping from my knife as Marvel stares between me and the dead girl lying at my feet. I lean down without taking my eyes from Marvel and pick up the sword sitting beside Glimmer's body. I tuck the knife into my belt as my fist flexes around the grip of the sword.

"District 12, where's your girlfriend?" Marvel asks in a pathetic attempt at a confident tone. I watch his eyes as he shifts his gaze, clearly nervous about Katniss' whereabouts. I don't answer. Instead, I smile a knowing grin, playing into his little game.

"If I told you, it would take the fun out of this," I answer, struggling to make my tone mocking. His eyes shift again and I take a step forward, knowing I have to draw the attention away from the bushes without being obvious. Rue is injured and only armed with a small knife which is nothing compared to Marvel's spear.

"Well, neither of you will last much longer anyway. Why draw out the inevitable?" Marvel tries again to portray confidence but his posture gives him away. I take another step forward and notice his eyes dart behind me to the bushes. Damn, he's smarter than I thought.

I hold the sword in a ready position and prepare my body to lunge. He's watching me closely but he's still nervous about Katniss so his eyes shift again to the trees. I jump toward him, swinging my sword toward his outstretched arm. He moved quickly, turning away before facing me again as I still and we watch each other closely, trying to anticipate the next move.

He thrusts the spear toward me and I jump back, the tip missing me by inches. I swing the sword at his arm, trying to disarm him but he blocks the movement with the spear and we step away once again, staring and breathing heavily. I wait, hoping he will throw the spear but knowing he has had training and knows better.

Suddenly, another cannon sounds and I turn my head without thinking to glance toward the bushes where Rue is hiding. As I do, I realize my error and overcompensate the movement, taking Marvel's spear in my right side instead of my chest where he had no doubt intended it. I freeze as I feel it drive deep into my body and fall to my knees, keeping my head enough to hold onto my sword. I swing at him again from the ground, the pain pulling against the protrusion in my side but he spins away before planting a heavy kick to the side of my head, knocking me to the ground and the sword landing several feet away.

He walks to me and grabs the spear roughly, placing his foot on my chest before yanking the weapon from my body. I feel the blood flowing freely from the open wound and gasp, trying to see through the blinding pain.

"This is going to be fun," he states, smirking at me before heading to the bushes where Rue is hiding. No doubt he believes Katniss is the one there but I reach for the knife in my belt and roll to my stomach, trying to pull myself to my knees. Once there, I grip the knife tightly and fling it in the direction of Marvel as he is turned away from me but I am disoriented from the wound so I miss and the knife embeds itself into the bark of a tree several feet away.

"Nice shot," Marvel laughs as he approaches the bushes. I fall forward, onto my hands, trying desperately to pull myself to my feet. When that fails, I reach for the knife in my boot, my final weapon.

"NO!" Rue screams and I hear Marvel cry out and look up to see the handle of a knife protruding from his forearm. Rue must have stabbed him when he went to push the bushes aside. His spear falls from his hand as he steps back, momentarily stunned.

I push myself to my feet as he pulls the knife from his arm, growling out a string of profanities. I wobble, trying to get to Rue and protect her, knowing her only weapon is now in his hand and she can't escape. Marvel reaches in, pulling Rue out by the arm as she struggles, looking pitifully small in his grasp. I stumble, falling back to my knees as the loss of blood makes me dizzy.

"NO! Help me!" She looks around, her eyes locking on mine as I force myself back to my feet. I hear the sounds of passage in the distance and recognize the birdcall from Katniss, letting us know she is on her way.

"This is who you were protecting?" Marvel scoffs, oblivious to Katniss's signal as Rue stumbles from her injured ankle. I keep moving forward, my right hand clutching my side as I try to make my legs move faster.

"HELP!" she cries out again and Marvel glances around him, hearing the sounds of running footsteps. He turns and drives the knife deep into Rue's chest and she falls to the ground.

"Rue," I hear Katniss' voice in the distance. Marvel looks back toward the voice and the sounds of more than one pair of feet running in this direction. He curses again, holding his hand to his wound before grabbing the spear and running in the opposite direction of Katniss.

I reach Rue then, falling hard to my knees beside her. She's gasping, coughing and choking on blood as the knife sits just below her collarbone. I roll her to her side as Katniss breaks into the clearing, arrow at the ready and Thresh right behind her.

"Rue," she cries out, spinning to look for an attacker before her eyes land on Glimmer's body on the ground not far from us.

"Are there others?" Thresh asks, his head turning as he searches for hidden attackers.

"He ran," I cough out, pointing in the direction Marvel took off in and gasping in the pain from my side.

"You guard," Katniss says quickly to Thresh and faster than I would think possible, she is on the ground beside Rue. "Rue? Rue, can you hear me?"

Rue's eyes spin wildly before settling on Katniss' face. Katniss pulls Rue's tiny body into her lap as I sit back on my heels, feeling the blood rushing over my fingers out of the gaping hole in my side.

"Ka… Katniss?" Rue asks, stuttering on the word as a horrible gurgle enters her throat.

"I'm here, Rue," Katniss says, her voice cracking on Rue's name. I look and see the tears building in her eyes as she takes in the severity of the wound. I close my eyes as my vision starts to turn black around the edges. I open them again and push myself back to my feet. I walk several feet away, wobbling slightly, and lean my shoulder against a nearby tree. My vision blurs again as my body tries to collapse and I struggle briefly to hold myself on my feet. I watch as Katniss leans in, speaking softly to Rue.

I close my eyes, trying to will myself to stay awake but feeling my body shake from the pain as the blood continues to pour through my fingers. My mind is foggy, unable to focus on the present when I hear a something that forces my eyes open. Katniss is singing. I have never heard a more beautiful sound and I begin to think that maybe I am already dead.

I move, forcing myself away from the tree as panic starts to set in. She can't see this; she doesn't need to see this. I move through the trees, trying to put distance between myself and Katniss. All I can do is hope she is occupied with Rue and won't make it to me before the hovercraft picks up my body.

I cough, surprised that there is no blood coming from my mouth. I pause, gasping and lean my left hand against a tree. I feel a hand on my shoulder and swing my fist around weakly, missing my target completely as Thresh's face comes into focus. I hear the sound of a cannon but my mind thinks it's too soon; I'm not dead yet, am I?

I feel myself leaning further against the tree, the bark scraping against my still raw burns. Suddenly, Katniss' face appears before me, tearstains running down her cheeks. She looks angry, she shoves me, pushing me hard against the tree, and I groan as I slide down to the ground before her voice starts to register.

"Where were you? What happened to her? You were supposed to protect her," my eyes close as I listen, thinking how right my subconscious is. I was supposed to protect Katniss and now I won't be here to take care of Cato for her. I open my mouth to speak, to tell her how sorry I am but nothing comes out. I feel hands on me and force my eyes open to see the ground very near my face. There is blood pooling near my face and I realize it's coming from my mouth.

I feel someone prying my fingers away from my side and more pressure against the wound. I try to cry out, the pain becoming too much but the sound is more of a groan in my own ears. I feel like I'm floating, unable to open my eyes. The voices around me all blurring together, no longer making sense. I hear sounds in my head and feel my mouth moving. Am I talking? I try again to force my eyes open without success before everything goes dark.

"Gale?" I groan, trying to roll onto my side but not able to move. "Gale?" A voice asks in the back of my head. "Are you waking up this time?"

There is a sharp pain in my side and flashes of the earlier attack come rushing back into my mind. I groan again, forcing my eyes to open and I see Katniss and Thresh beside me. It takes a minute for everything to come into focus but when it does, I can see that I am somehow, back in the bottom of the tree. I begin to wonder if all of that happened.

"Gale?" Katniss asks but her voice is not what I expected. She seems angry, bitter about something and when my eyes finally focus on hers, she lets out an exasperated sigh. "Are you awake this time?"

"Yes," I try to respond but nothing much comes out.

"How are you feeling?" Thresh asks me before turning to give Katniss a strange look.

"Like I got a spear to my side," I answer weakly and look around. "Where's Rue?" Katniss looks away, her anger obvious in the set of her jaw. Thresh just shakes his head, telling me everything through the look in his eyes.

I struggle to focus my mind, remember all the details of the attack but my mind still has blank spots. I remember hearing a cannon and thinking I was dead, was that Rue's cannon then?

"How in the world am I still alive?" I muse aloud and no one answers. I glance around and notice the light coming in the tree from an odd angle. "What time is it?"

"It's mid afternoon. You've been out for about twenty-four hours," Thresh answers and I feel my eyes widen.

"Twenty-four hours?" I ask, shock clear in my tone.

"Yes. The girl from District 1, the boys from 3 and 10, and Rue are all dead," Katniss answers in a flat voice. I hadn't asked which tributes had made it but it was nice to know. I take a moment to process that, to consider who is left.

"Final seven," I say quietly, realizing the pool of tributes took a large hit yesterday, mainly due to our attack.

"I'm going to hunt," Katniss says abruptly and turns to climb back out of the tree.

"Wait," I say but she is already on the top ledge.

"We need food," is her only response before she disappears from sight. Thresh and I sit in silence for a few minutes as I try to pull myself up to a sitting position. It's a struggle and I refuse help from Thresh when he offers. I take my time, noting how each different movement seems to pull at the wound. I notice, once I pull out of the sleeping bag, that my shirt is beside me on the ground and my chest is bare. I look down my torso at the now bandaged wound in my side, seeing that the ground surrounding me is dark from my blood.

"I didn't think you were going to make it," Thresh says into the quiet and I look up to see him watching me inspect myself. "I've never seen anything like it. I thought you were a goner when I followed you from the clearing and saw the blood. You still don't look so great."

"What happened? How did…?" I trail off, unsure of how to ask the question.

"I've never seen anything like Katniss. Once she realized how badly you were injured, she worked furiously. She was determined in a way I'd never seen before," Thresh answers honestly. "She didn't speak. She pulled the first aid stuff from her backpack and just went to work. She actually hasn't spoken much at all. I tried to talk to her last night but she didn't really respond. She's been very distant."

"I've seen her that determined before," I say with a slight smile and then frown, worrying about her being distant. I knew Rue's death would be hard on her when it happened but I didn't realize how much it would affect me. I look at my hands and see blood still staining my right hand and immediately my mind flashes to the moment with Glimmer. The fear in her eyes as I spun her, right before I slit her throat. I shutter and then wince as the pain shoots through me.

Thresh and I talk well into the evening, he tells me about the supplies. He says that Katniss managed to use three arrows to rip open a bag of apples, causing several of the mines to go off and those triggered more. He tells me how they managed to stay a good distance away but were both still knocked off their feet, their ears ringing after the string of explosions. He finishes by explaining how they high tailed it out of there, heading back toward the meeting place when they heard Rue's screams.

By late evening, I'm getting worried about Katniss. It's nearly dark and she's been gone for several hours. The only thing keeping me calm is the fact that I haven't heard a cannon. I start thinking about going to look for her; I pull my bloodstained shirt on slowly, seeing how large the hole is in the fabric. I push myself up to my knees before Thresh realizes what I am doing.

"You should rest," is all he says but I shake my head and continue to try to stand. Thresh stands and puts out his hands, helping me to my feet. I lean against the next platform of the tree, trying to regain my sense of balance. After several minutes, I start to pull myself to the next level before I hear her voice above me.

"What are you doing?" She asks in the same harsh voice as before.

"I was coming to look for you," I answer, still finding her tone confusing.

"I told you I was hunting. Then I decided you might want the food cooked so I went to the fire pit," she responds, sighing in exasperation.

"It's dangerous for you to be out there on your own," I say and immediately regret the words. She hops down to the bottom level, stepping into my face as soon as lands and her eyes shine with anger.

"It was so much safer for Rue with you, wasn't it?" She asks and I involuntarily take a step back at her words. Her anger toward me is unexpected and I almost stumble under the weight of it.

"I tried to draw them away," I say softly into the echo of the tree but there is no response. I lean against the wall as the dizziness sets in once again.

"Sit back down," Thresh says quietly, placing a hand on my shoulder from behind me. I shake his hand off and move slowly back to my sleeping bag. I slide slowly to the floor, being careful of the wound in my side.

We eat in silence before Thresh tells us that he is taking first watch. Katniss agrees and moves to the level above me and unrolls her sleeping bag as Thresh takes his spot for guard. I lie on my back, the burn throbbing painfully but unable to sleep in any other way due to the other mounting injuries. I sigh softly thinking about how I am supposed to be the strong one. I am supposed to protect her and yet I keep getting injured. I remember Thresh telling me this afternoon that she worked feverishly to save me yesterday. I try to figure out why she saved me if she was only going to turn her back on me.

I think about Rue. I try not to but I can't help it. Little, helpless Rue who stayed up to offer me the burn cream behind Katniss's back, understanding exactly why I didn't want her to know. Rue, who pulled her weight when it came to gathering food for our little group. Rue, who found water for Katniss in those first days when I wasn't with her and hunted down the Careers camp. Rue, who lost her life in this plan. Who was my responsibility.

No. I can't think like that. I knew from the beginning there was only one person here whose safety was my responsibility and it wasn't Rue. Rue's death is not on my hands. If anyone is responsible for Rue's death, it's President Snow and those vultures in the Capitol. How could anyone find pleasure in the death of such a pure, innocent soul like Rue?

I readjust, trying again to get comfortable in the sleeping bag before pulling my arms out and seeing in the small bit of moonlight, the darkened skin on my hands from the dried blood. I remember that all the blood on my hand is not my own. I remember the feeling of Glimmer's hair in my hand as my knife was at her throat. I didn't consider at the time how different it would feel: killing a human as opposed to an animal. I just acted on instinct. Kill or be killed. I shouldn't know how to do that. I shouldn't have to know how to do that. I shouldn't be sitting here, mourning the deaths of a girl I barely knew and a girl whose name I only learned on the day I killed her. I pause at that thought. I killed her. I murdered a girl whose name I had only learned moments before. I saw the terror in her eyes when she realized she had been caught.

I stared, unseeingly at the side of the tree, willing myself to sleep to take the thoughts away. I am responsible for the deaths of those two girls.

* * *

**A/N:**** This was the hardest chapter I have ever written. Rue's death was much harder to write than I ever imagined it would be! I have to give a very heartfelt thanks to my prereader, Spoofty. She helped me through a very difficult chapter as I tried to find the words to express this difficult moment in the story.**

**I hope you all feel like I did Rue justice in her death. I'd love to hear what you think...**


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